Confirmed with Link: Oilers sign Mikko Koskinen

[Little Fury]

Hammond, Pavelec, Khudobin, Hutton don't fall into the decent backup category anymore. Not your names, but that's because you weren't willing to put out a name. Those are the only names that anyone opposes the signing have thrown out.

Hutton won 17 games and put up a .931 SV% this season.
Khudobin won 15 games and posted a .913 Sv%.

I dunno what more you want from a back up G.

You can also expand the search to look at guys who are likely near the end of the line and may just want to get one more NHL contract, guys like Cam Ward, Jaro Halak, or Chad Johnson.

There's a risk to signing any back up goalie because back up goalies are, by definition, lower quality netminders. But you know what you're getting, unlike Koskanen.

 

[Little Fury]

Are you really saying that if Koskinen has a better season than any of Hammond/Pavelec/Khudobin or Hutton you will eat your hat? I would certainly wager an avatar bet on that one. That would extend to the point if any of the four don't play at all next season and Koskinen gets in at least one game, Koskinen has a better season. Just saying it's easy to make outrageous claims online, but a little more difficult when you can be pretty easily proven wrong.

How about this: if Koskinen starts 15 or more games AND posts a SV% of .912 or higher, you pick my avi for a month.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Khudobin won 15 games and posted a .913 Sv%.

Yes, and last year he cleared waivers and put up "quality numbers" in the AHL in 11 games

2.69 gaa

.896 sv%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Little Fury]

Yes, and last year he cleared waivers and put up "quality numbers" in the AHL in 11 games

2.69 gaa

.896 sv%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Cool story.

 

[shoop]

How about this: if Koskinen starts 15 or more games
AND posts a SV% of .912 or higher, you pick my avi for a month.

Talbot had a .908 save percentage last year. And a "decent backup" has to do better than that?

I'll do the 15 starts with a .908 save percentage on a one month avatar bet.

 

[McCombo]

The problem I have is a lot of people like talking about hypothetical players they'd like to add, but when you look at the crop of free agents this summer that player doesn't exist there. The goalie class this summer is filled with a bunch of career backups and guys who have lost their game the last couple years. The only guys out there who could potentially challenge Talbot are Bernier and Hutton. Bernier is coming off a contract where he was brought in to do just that to Varlamov which paid him $2.75M, and I'm guessing Hutton will be looking for a similar contract somewhere he could become the starter. They hypothetical better option just isn't out there.

And the other problem I see is the consensus if "player x" plays in NHL he must be better than "player y" who plays in Europe. Of course there is possibility that he has problems adjusting to faster pace, but in my mind there is no question that he is much better goaltender Montoya and many other career back-ups. And I see that there is real possibility he could challenge Talbot and win the starters job. This is the first time Talbot has serious competition.

If Oilers would have signed lets say Khudobin/Johnson and Talbot would have struggled again the season is pretty much done, since neither of those guys can be trusted to carry bigger workload. There is same risk of course with Koskinen, but he has the upside to actually do it. Oilers paid ~1million more for that, but if Koskinen plays very well and is the starting goalie who gets new contract Oilers propably save a lot more versus what other teams are paying for their starters. If Koskinen posts good, but not great numbers he isn't in position to ask for 5 x 6mil contract. More like 3 x 4mil, like the deal Talbot signed few years ago.

With Talbot/Koskinen there is higher probability that Oilers have future starter already in the roster, than Talbot/"career back-up" tandem.

 

[Little Fury]

Talbot had a .908 save percentage last year. And a "decent backup" has to do better than that?

.912 is league average. You say your man is starter material; league average should be a cinch.

But how about we split the difference and say .910.

 

[shoop]

.912 is league average. You say your man is starter material; league average should be a cinch.

But how about we split the difference and say .910.

That's fair. Confirmation PM sent.

 

[Cloned]

Well now I want him to start 14 games in the regular season and 1 in the playoffs and put up a .9095 SV%.

 

[shoop]

Well now I want him to start 14 games in the regular season and 1 in the playoffs and put up a .9095 SV%.

You want Talbot to be overworked again and a failing backup goalie due to personal animus on an anonymous message board. Quite the classy post.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Cool story.

You treat him as a can't miss pick up, I like the player, but there are question marks, Not sure why that hard to figure out exactly.

 

[nabob]

Just about every decent backup in the league. Guys who have actually proven that they can play in the NHL. Any backup is going to have question marks, that's why they are backups, but there's more risk with this one.

The good thing is that Koskinen has the potential to be a #1 as opposed to most available backups but the risk is that he hasn't proven that he can play in the NHL while other backups have so instead of going the safe route, Chia took the higher upside potential.

Not hating the signing, just outlining the risk and saying that the backup problem hasn't been solved until he can show that he can play at the NHL level.

Every backup = every goalie who hasn't proven he can regularly play in the NHL. Still question marks.

 

[Cloned]

You want Talbot to be overworked again and a failing backup goalie due to personal animus on an anonymous message board. Quite the classy post.

lol, relax, I was joking. I would have thought the overly specific parameters and to the thousandth SV% would have given that away, lol. And if anything my parameters were pro-shoop.

 

[Cypress]

you just have thin skin

What I am complaining about are the posters who have this guy as our starting goalie next year--this perspective gravely concerns me. Like I said, I was not impressed with the games I saw him play in

Fair enough, I just find it tiresome how every thread on this forum devolves into complaining regardless of topic or events. So complaining about complaing I guess, lol.

I do agree it would be unwise to start pencilling Koskinen in as the starter already, getting our hopes up, and then booing him out of town if he only turns out to be a backup.

 

[shoop]

lol, relax, I was joking. I would have thought the overly specific parameters and to the thousandth SV% would have given that away, lol. And if anything my parameters were pro-shoop.

Much classier post.

Overly specific paramaters were for a reason. It's all you can judge a goalie on. If I lose because Koskinen has a .9095 save percentage I'm blaming you for jinxing the bet.

 

[Cloned]

Much classier post.

Overly specific paramaters were for a reason. It's all you can judge a goalie on. If I lose because Koskinen has a .9095 save percentage I'm blaming you for jinxing the bet.

I just wanted to create a set of conditions that would have been controversial and ending up in both of you losing the bet (i.e. having to let me pick your avatars).

 

[bucks_oil]

(duplicate)

 

[bucks_oil]

I think this is true. When I heard about Koskinen a couple weeks ago, I thought it was risky because the guy hasnt had any success in the NHL but I admitted that I hadnt see him play. I then went and looked at the UFA goalies out there and honestly there isnt much. Furthermore theres no guarantee that goaltenders like Hutton, Bernier, Khudobin etc wont get resigned by their teams and not even hit free agency. I think the Oilers were being proactive and trying to get the goaltender they thought was best instead of waiting for free agency and potentially getting left with table scraps.

I still think its a risky move but I understand the move better after looking at the situation more closely.

I did the same thing.

I think the contract might be a little rich, but I'm honestly not expecting us to use all of our cap space anyway.... and it is only one year.

I would have been down for Bernier, Hutton, or Khudobin too... but I'm sure they put their "informal, not negotiating in advance of FA" feelers out there already and had a sense of where things were going.

That said... I think the poster who highlighted our strategy from: Nilsson to Gustaffson to Brossoit has highlighted the fact that we've taken exceptional risk (and lost) in attempting to answer this question for 3 seasons. I don't have a network of professional scouts to rely on, so I am extending the benefit of the doubt that this *could* be a very good move....

... or it isn't and it could, with the benefit of hindsight, be another example of risky, poorly thought-through management and bad judgement. We'll see.

 

[FlameChampion]

I did the same thing.

I think the contract might be a little rich, but I'm honestly not expecting us to use all of our cap space anyway.... and it is only one year.

I would have been down for Bernier, Hutton, or Khudobin too... but I'm sure they put their "informal, not negotiating in advance of FA" feelers out there already and had a sense of where things were going.

That said... I think the poster who highlighted our strategy from: Nilsson to Gustaffson to Brossoit has highlighted the fact that we've taken exceptional risk (and lost) in attempting to answer this question for 3 seasons. I don't have a network of professional scouts to rely on, so I am extending the benefit of the doubt that this *could* be a very good move....

... or it isn't and it could, with the benefit of hindsight, be another example of risky, poorly thought-through management and bad judgement. We'll see.

Yeah I personally dont think its risky because of the contract. A 1 year contract is relatively risk free even if it perhaps a little rich.

I think the deal is risky in the sense that if it doesnt work out, Chiarelli is going to get grilled. Its a risky, ballsy move by him, imo. But as you mentioned, hes in this situation because he hasnt really addressed the issue in the past seasons.

 

[joestevens29]

Hammond, Pavelec, Khudobin, Hutton don't fall into the decent backup category anymore. Not your names, but that's because you weren't willing to put out a name. Those are the only names that anyone opposes the signing have thrown out.

With the downside of the signing mitigated having Montoya in the AHL, I think the upside of the signing is worth it.

I don't see that as a downside. Bakersfield needs a goalie that can be a top goalie. Our prospects needs some stability down there. Hopefully Montoya can be that guy

 

[Louis Cypher]

Is Koskinen playing in the IIHF World Hockey Championship?

 

[BarDownBobo]

Is Koskinen playing in the IIHF World Hockey Championship?

Yes.

EDIT: apparently I remembered wrong, he's not.

 

[Jeff Lebowski]

I'm ok with 2.5M for Koskinen. The goalie is the most important position on the team. If he steps in and beats Talbot out for the starting position, then that will be a great deal. We need some insurance on Talbot. If he has another season like the last, then we're looking at another wasted season. It's also possible that he's indicated to Chiarelli that he won't be resigning with us when he goes UFA. If that's the case, he'll be dealt next season. We need some potential starters in the mix.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Yes.

EDIT: apparently I remembered wrong, he's not.

Who is playing instead?

 

[CycloneSweep]

Colorado signed Francouz who is easily the better goalie. Wonder what his salary for the year will be?