Oilers insider reveals plan for goalie Olivier Rodrigue, suggests Stuart Skinner injury timeline
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The Edmonton Oilers hit a major low point with last night's blowout loss to the Seattle Kraken, and may now be without goalie Stuart Skinner for some time.
Skinner took a hard, direct contact to the head from Mikko Rantanen which has held him back from travelling with the team, a concerning sign after he was pulled by concussion spotters last week too.
Oilers insider Bob Stauffer ruled out Stuart Skinner for two more games at least
At the intermission in last night's game, Oilers insider Bob Stauffer suggested that Pickard is expected to start the next two games - which would rule Skinner out for at least that amount of time.
It will be a telling sign to see if Stuart Skinner joins the Oilers in their road trip to Vegas after the team returns home for the Battle of Alberta.
Skinner may be dealing with a concussion based on his injury, although the team hasn't confirmed that yet. Concussions can be extremely volatile with return timelines, which could be very concerning to the Oilers with the playoffs now around the corner.
Oilers not expected to give Olivier Rodrigue another chance in net
Stauffer's comments also indicate that the Oilers won't give a starting opportunity to Rodrigue, at least if Skinner is out for only a few games.
That's a disappointment for Rodrigue, who's been the only goalie prospect in the Oilers system since he was drafted in the 2nd round in 2018.
Rodrigue did make his NHL debut last night and performed well in very limited minutes. Prospect experts are concerned about his smaller size at 6'1 for an NHL goaltender.
Coach Knoblauch only wanting to start Calvin Pickard makes sense as the veteran option while the team is chasing home ice advantage in the playoffs, but will be a blow to Rodrigue. The good news is, if Rodrigue doesn't get a starting opportunity, it means Skinner will be back soon.
| POLL | ||
MARS 28 | 612 ANSWERS Oilers insider reveals plan for goalie Olivier Rodrigue, suggests Stuart Skinner injury timeline Do you think the Oilers should give more starts to Rodrigue? | ||
| Yes | 548 | 89.5 % |
| No | 64 | 10.5 % |
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