Laurent Brossoit (photo by Mark Williams) is in the mix for an NHL job this fall, as he and Jonas Gustavsson will be vying for the backup job to Cam Talbot. The AHL and ECHL nets are also in play, and with the summer’s work (at this position) likely completed, let’s have a look at the Oilers in goal.

NHL EVEN-STRENGTH SAVE PERCENTAGE

  1. Cam Talbot .920
  2. Jonas Gustavsson .914 (with Boston)
  3. Laurent Brossoit .874
Talbot ranked No. 20 league-wide among goalies with 45 or more appearances. Gustavsson ranked in a tie for No. 27 league-wide among goalies who appeared in between 20 and 44 games. Brossoit didn’t play enough to qualify.

NHL OVERALL SAVE PERCENTAGE

  1. Cam Talbot .917
  2. Jonas Gustavsson. 908
  3. Laurent Brossoit .873
Talbot ranked No. 15 league-wide among goalies with 45 or more appearances. Gustavsson ranked in a tie for No. 25 league wide among goalies who appeared in between 20 and 44 games. Brossoit didn’t play enough to qualify. Note: NHL average overall save percentage is .915, via Hockey Reference.

NHL NOTES

  • Cam Talbot is slightly above average in terms of overall save percentage—but I rate him a little better than that. He had a dip in performance early in the year, and then recovered. Vital that he stays away from a repeat, but overall I believe we should have confidence in him as a goalie.
  • Jonas Gustavsson is an unusual choice for backup goaltender on this Edmonton Oilers team. I thought the team would aim higher—Chad Johnson, Jhonas Enroth—but Gustavsson is a lower level free-agent pickup.
  • Laurent Brossoit may be a reason for such a middling addition, but his NHL numbers are minute—so we need to look at the AHL totals.
  • Source
(Brossoit photo by Mark Williams)

AHL SAVE PERCENTAGES

  1. Laurent Brossoit .920
  2. Eetu Laurikainen .907
Brossoit ranked No. 10 league-wide, Laurikainen didn’t play enough to qualify. It is also interesting to put Brossoit’s 2015-16 season in context with recent starting goalies in the Edmonton system:
  1. Yann Danis (2011-12) .924
  2. Brossoit (2015-16) .920
  3. Brossoit (2014-15) .918
  4. Richard Bachman (2014-15) .918
  5. Devan Dubnyk (2009-10). 915
  6. Yann Danis (2012-13) .911
  7. Martin Gerber (2010-11). 911
  8. Richard Bachman (2013-14) .908
  9. Devan Dubnyk (2008-09) .906
  10. Jeff Deslaurier (2010-11). 906
Note: This is a little unfair—save percentages have been improving year over year forever—but it is also true that two of the four best SP seasons have been Brossoit in his two seasons in net. It is also true that some goalies who have had played in the NHL since the seasons posted performed well—Dubnyk is an NHL starter (plenty road detours on that route, to be true).
Nick Ellis will turn pro this fall and be in the mix, here has an interesting resume. He posted quality numbers and Chris Dilks ranked Ellis as the No. 5 free-agent option among college players here.

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

It is mid-summer, and we are just chatting, but I think Laurent Brossoit has a real chance to win the backup job. Full stop.