The Oilers face a tough decision right now regarding their goaltending future.
EDMONTON -- You would think the biggest decision that the Edmonton Oilers had to make was whether they could afford to trade Dwayne Roloson to New Jersey, now that Martin Brodeur is on the shelf with a bicep injury.
Well, it turns out, the bigger decision the Oilers are grappling with behind closed doors is whether to instead dangle Mathieu Garon, this early in a season in which Garon was told he'd have the opportunity to prove himself their No. 1 man, long-term.
Sportsnet.ca has learned that internal discussions are focused on which goalie would go, for two reasons:
New Jersey is in the market for a goalie. The Devils won Wednesday, requiring a shoot-out to beat Tampa Bay 4-3 at home in Newark.
Devils pro scout Bob Hoffmeyer had a seat booked Wednesday night in the Columbus press box on, where Dwayne Roloson got the start for Edmonton against the Blue Jackets and lost 5-4.
Hoffmeyer is expected to watch the Oilers Thursday night in Pittsburgh, but Penguins' PR announced he has yet to request a seat. Garon is expected to get that start after watching the past three Oilers games.
Also, the situation regarding Jeff Deslauriers needs to be addressed. Edmonton drafted Deslauriers 31st overall in 2002, and has invested considerable time in him. The club cannot send him to the minors without risking losing Deslauriers on waivers.
Deslauriers has been the No. 3 goalie all season and is rotting on the vine. The only game he played was a win in Calgary, and they want to see more from him.
As Oilers president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe said, "Not too many Oiler goalies have won down there in the last few seasons."
Of course, both Roloson and Garon would have more value at the March 3 trade deadline, but keeping Deslauriers in the press box until then could seriously stunt his growth.
"Can you wait that long?" Lowe asked of the balky three-goalie system currently in play. "How long can you let the kid sit there and not play?"
So, do the Oilers send Garon, who is younger at age 30 and makes just US $1 million this season, to New Jersey? Or does this opportunity mark a peak in value for the 39-year-old Roloson, who will make US$3 million this season?
Roloson was merely okay in his past two starts, allowing five goals on 38 shots in Columbus, and four goals on 26 shots in Philadelphia Sunday. His stats -- a .906 saves percentage and a 3.16 goals against average -- are good but not great.
Garon's -- .895 and 3.18 -- aren't any better.
Both netminders are in the final year of their contracts, and both will be unrestricted free agents at season's end. Likely, either one would suffice to bridge the gap for New Jersey until Brodeur gets healthy again in three or four months.
"I don't know how that stuff gets started," opened Lowe, trying to throw a reporter off the scent. "We've had no conversations with Jersey, at this point."
But, he admitted, "It's pretty hard for us to trade Roli right now, when he's our best goalie."
Roloson had won two straight coming into the Columbus game. Garon started strong, but as has been his career M.O., his game dipped after a few good starts.
Roloson could likely have been acquired in trade all summer long for a lower-round draft pick, just to save the Oilers the salary room. He had lost the No. 1 job to Garon last season however, and was a late-30's backup making $3 million.
"I don't think he had a bad a year as everyone said he did," said Lowe. "His saves percentage was above .900. It's just that Garon played that much better.
"Roli doesn't have the pedigree," Lowe continued. "Teams don't know that much about him, which is kind of odd. And maybe the money thing (was a factor), no question. But if teams knew him…"
The Oilers know plenty about Roloson however. He very nearly backstopped them to a Stanley Cup in '06, out-dueling J.S. Giguere and then-San Jose goalie Vesa Toskala along the way.
It's Garon they're still not sure about.
With Roloson in the final year of his deal, don't be surprised if the Oilers let him play 45 of their remaining 70 games, give Deslaurier 25 starts, and flip Garon.
And if the plan doesn't work, they'll go into the free agent market for a goalie next summer.
