The Three Headed Monster

Written by: Phat Quinn



   There is going to be major problems for the Oilers if they continue to run a 3 goalie system. Backup goalies are supposed to support the number one goalie while having a healthy competition between each other. If you add another goalie to that mix, that could spell disaster.

   One goalie will be a healthy scratch and wouldn't be improving at all or gaining any confidence; which is important for any young player. It would be easier on the goalies if one of JDD or Dubs would get sent to the minors so they both could play and improve their game. I hope that the Oilers don't want to stunt the growth of JDD or Dubs. If Oilers management doesn't waive one of the two of the goalies, it would be harder for both JDD and Dubs to reach their max potential. Lets just say that JDD gets to sit on the bench more than Dubs, it would be obvious that JDD would see more pucks in practice then Dubs because there is only two nets (the other one would be used by Bulin). Then Dubs would be doing nothing in practice that would improve his game. The competition between the backups would heat up and they wouldn't want to support the other as they would feel their job is jeopardy.

   However there is a positive to running a 3 headed monster. It could force all three of the goalies to play as best as they can at all times. Each of the goalies would fear if they have a bad game they wouldn't be on the bench on the next, they would be in the press box next time.

   I believe the Oilers didn't want to risk Dubs or JDD getting plucked off the waiver wire, as some teams have run into injury trouble. So they will wait a while until they get offered a trade or all the other teams solve their injury problems. Then the Oil management would waive one when they have a better read on which one is a better fit on the big club. Another possible reason is the management is waiting to see if Bulins' back acts up again or he gets some jail time. If the Oiles send a goalie down and then have to recall him they would run the chance that a team might claim him on re-entry waivers at 1/2 the price.

  Bulin is going to be the Oilers number 1 goalie for the season unless something drastic happens like last year. He's a solid veteran goalie with a Stanley cup ring. If the Oilers go on a playoff run in the next few years The Bulin Wall will be a big part of it. Knabibulin plays a hybrid style, he is really fast in his lateral movements and is composed when he plays the puck. He has excellent rebound control, weather it's holding onto the puck or deflecting it to the corners. If he happens to let a big rebound out he is fast enough to recover and stop the 2nd chance. The only flaw in the Bulin wall is: he has a history of back injuries. At his age he might be forced to retire if he injures his back again.

   Dubnyk is the youngest goalie of the three. Dubs plays mostly a butterfly style, his butterfly slide is quick and smooth. With his size he can cover the top have of the net when he is down, he can also see most of the shots from the point because he's 6'6''. Dubnyk has great positioning when challenging the shooter. Most of the time he is square to the shooter which allows him to cover the rebound. But whenever there is a bad bounce in front of the net or a rebound he has troubles finding the loose puck. He's going to have to battle harder and use his reach to cover the loose pucks. Even though it took forever for Dubs to get his first NHL win he really came on strong at the end of last year and showed some great potential.

   Deslaurier has more experience then Dubnyk playing a career total of 58 NHL games, but only collecting 28 wins. JDD is one of the most flexible goalies in the NHL, it's hard to score on cross seam passes with a large flexible goalie. Although he lets out large rebounds he tends to recover with his quickness and agility. He plays a similar style to Dominik Hasek, always sprawling out and making tremendous saves. There are quite few negative aspects about JDD. He seems to always let a bad goal in early, which doesn't help his confidence. However it seems that he gets stronger as the game wears on. Jeff struggles on playing the puck behind the net, he is full of give aways. JDD glove positioning is off and that seems to be his weak spot. A lot of the goals that he lets in are on the short side on his glove hand. Since he has more NHL experience than Dubnyk, that might give him a slight edge.

   It is going to be interesting to see who has the advantage going into the home opener and will be the first to back up the Bulin Wall.