Three-Headed Goalie Monster

This will be my last post on the goaltending issue of the Oilers, I promise, I just need to clear some things up.

First: I do not hate Roli, by any means, when he is on his game I'm sure he is one of the most frustrating tenders for opposing teams to play against because he just always seems to make saves that leave you sitting there with your mouth gaping, eyes wide and mind thinking 'what-the-f---!', of course you're not saying this because the idea of speech has temporarily left your skill-set. My original post on the whole 'Roli or Garon' issue was written purely out of frustration and I was perhaps too hard on Roloson, though I still think Garon should have started the game on the 26th (I am not, however, going to say that we would have won that game for sure had Garon been in net).

Second: I still think that Garon is our #1 guy for at least this season; you may chalk this up to my affinity for the guy if you like. Garon is younger than Roloson, and I realize this is an argument that has been iterated and reiterated millions of times, but the fact is that it is true; I'm not saying that Roloson is not going to be in the NHL next season (though I may have said that earlier, I can't remember), I'm saying that I don't think he will be with the Oilers next season. Of course if the whole thing with Pete Peeters is true perhaps it will be Garon who leaves, and if he isn't allowed to play then it will be on his own request.

Third: JDD is not ready to piggy-back this team; yet. There is no question, he will be ready and he will be a No 1 tender in this league eventually but to throw the kid between the pipes as a number one so early would be somewhat akin to being a neglectful parent. The result could potentially be a disaster. Now, I can't say I've been watching hockey for long enough to have a clear idea of how the average goaltender develops, but when I think of players who were thrown in too early I think of the most recent most relative to this current Oiler team: one Ladislav Smid. (I'm not saying we've completely ruined Laddi, I think he's coming around nicely this season, but after the onslaught that he received in 06-07, his season following was one that I personally would like to forget. I still don't think Ladislav should be playing with Steve Staios but that is a topic for another post.)

In summation: JDD, in my opinion, is not ready for the #1 position yet. As such we need a number one tender to take over until the day that JDD is ready, whenever that happens to be. I think our best option is Garon, though I also like to positives that Roli can bring to the table. If we go by 05-06 then it's clear that Roloson can handle the mix, but the two seasons following tell a different story, save for the last twenty or so games of last season. Garon played exceedingly well last season, but has had his struggles this season, and if we go back to his time in LA he was relatively inconsistent there.

The bottom line is that there are strong points and weak spots for both goaltenders. Garon lets in some goals that Roloson quick glove hand would have saved, Roloson doesn't make some saves that Garon's flexibility would have kept from hitting the twine. In the end there is no clear runaway choice here, only gut instinct and favouritism. I favour Garon, in case you didn't catch that.

I think that this monster is much like Fluffy here in this picture, they are both three-headed, both monsters, and both are standing on top of a door. In Fluffy's case that door leads to the Philosopher's Stone; in the Oilers' case that door leads to the playoffs.