THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER THING
8 years ago
There’s an idiom dating all the way back to the 1500s that goes, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” I’ve thought of it more than once during this decade of ineptitude and frustration that today has the Edmonton Oilers on the way to missing the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season.
I thought of it again last night after a 3-2 loss to the Nashville Predators while reading some of the comments on this site and on Twitter pointing a finger at rookie goaltender Laurent Brossoit, who had a tough night, giving up a hat-trick to James Neal. Brossoit faced just 23 shots, including a couple of snipes by Neal he probably should have got a handle on.
Observations ranged from specific criticism, particularly of the 2-1 goal, to broader common sense commentary about Brossoit, the former Edmonton Oil King who is all of four games into his NHL career with the Oilers in just his third season as a pro. Of course, there was some over-the-top stuff and some flat-out troll jobs, but they aren’t going to get any play here.
Some sensible big-picture takes here:
MY TAKE
There’s no question Brossoit wasn’t good enough against the Predators and that he’s had two less-than-stellar starts in a row. In three appearances this season, he’s 0-2-1 with a .882 save-percentage and a 3.28 GAA. Counting one appearance last season – he made 49 saves in a 3-1 loss to San Jose last April – Brossoit is 0-3-1 with a .912 save-percentage and 2.97 GAA.
Those kind of numbers aren’t going to cut it if Brossoit is to be the back-up to Cam Talbot next season. That said, we’re looking at the proverbial small sample size here. It’s way too early to know for sure what Brossoit, who turns 23 later this month, brings to the table. He was ridiculously good in his Oiler debut against San Jose, not so good over three appearances this season.
I’ve jumped the gun big-time myself when it comes to goaltenders in the past – hello, Jeff Deslauriers – who have had far more NHL crease time than Brossoit has now and have been as wrong as wrong can be. Rushing to judgment is pretty common around here, given the lack of results over the past decade, especially when it comes to goaltending. Wasn’t that long ago that Anders Nilsson was the answer, right?
Might Brossoit need more time in the minors to develop? Sure. Might it be prudent for GM Pete Chiarelli to go shopping this off-season for a veteran stopper who could back-up Talbot just in case Brossoit isn’t ready to caddy for him next October? Sure. Might these last couple games just be a blip, a bit of stage fright? Maybe. What history shows us is we don’t know yet.
Even if Brossoit gets three or four more games between now and the end of the season, we won’t know for sure if he’s got what it takes, and neither will Chiarelli. He was to be ready for every possible outcome. Fans, meanwhile, should probably take a step back if they think they have the kid pegged. There are a lot of things wrong with the Oilers, but we don’t yet know if Brossoit is one of them.
WHILE I’M AT IT
- Interesting Tweet, while we’re on the subject of rushing to judgment, today from Chris Johnston about former Oiler defenseman Martin Marincin.
- With the loss to Nashville, the Oilers have won just one of their last nine games at Rexall Place and are 16-17-2 at home on the season. Dating back to the start of the 2013-14 season, the Oilers have won just 47 of 117 games at home.
Seems to me Marincin’s was told the same thing going into more than one off-season during his time with the Oilers, to no avail. Marincin, 24, is six years removed from his draft year (46th overall in 2010). While Marincin is just entering what should be his prime playing years, I just don’t see the same potential Babcock does.
Listen to Robin Brownlee Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the Jason Gregor Show on TSN 1260.
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