Devan Dubnyk appears to be the number one guy in Edmonton and whether or not he’s good enough to carry that load is another argument for another day.  If Khabibulin is brought back to the fold in Edmonton he would serve primarily as the backup, the same role as this past season.  He’s a veteran netminder who put up mediocre numbers last year, going 4-6-1 in 12 starts with a 2.45 GAA and a .923 save percentage.  Oddly enough the last two were better than his career averages but a small sample pool in just a dozen games.

Regardless, the biggest and perhaps most important sticking point I have with the idea is the one word that we’ve heard for the past few weeks from GM Craig MacTavish – change.

Mac-T has promised changes with the roster and said as many as eight new faces could be in the Oilers lineup next season.  His biggest priority is said to be in goal, begging the question if he has complete and utter faith in Dubnyk.  My thoughts, he doesn’t and will explore every angle in obtaining an upgrade in goal.

Matheson lists the potential free-agents that could be available this summer for any team looking to upgrade in net.  There are some notable names like Niklas Backstrom of the Wild, Ray Emery of the Blackhawks and Mike Smith of the Coyotes.

Backstrom is likely to re-sign in Minnesota, Emery is a backet case on a good day and Smith will cost a pretty penny.  At 31-years of age, Smith is the top choice in the free-agent pool given his fine performance the last few seasons.  Another name is Anton Khudobin, a 26-year old of the Boston Bruins who is blocked by Tuukka Rask for the starting position.  He’s inexperienced but has a high ceiling for potential.

Of course there are the options to trade for a number one netminder and Matheson points to the St. Louis Blues who have a trio of quality starters and they can’t possibly keep all three.

Ryan Miller of Buffalo is said to be available, but at 36-years old with a hefty paycheck of $6 million annually, his best year’s appear to be behind him.

This is where Matheson makes the case to bring back Khabibulin for one-year while the Oilers try and find a younger star goalie.  Here is also where the problem lies.

Taking that approach is exactly what has been done in the year’s past; bring back an aging backup and let’s see if Dubnyk can meet our expectations.  Too many “what if’s” and not enough taking a risk in my opinion.

If the Oilers were to sign Smith or Khudobin or trade for Jaroslav Halak or even Miller that would signal that the faith that the organization once had in Dubnyk is gone.  Is that so bad when this is a club that hasn’t made the playoffs in seven years?  Putting all the Oilers’ eggs in Dubnyk’s basket is risky, maybe a little too risky.  If the club wants to take a risk, why not sign Smith, pay him $5-6 million per year and sleep easy at night knowing you have yourself a legitimate number one netminder.

To reiterate, Dubnyk may not be the guy to lead this team to the playoffs and carry them to the final like Dwayne Roloson.  Neither is Khabibulin.  Matheson preaches to sign the cup champion and bring him back for one more year but it’s that mindset and those actions that have left this Oilers organization spinning their wheels in the mud. What’s the definition of insanity?  Trying the same thing over and over again while hoping for a different result.

A different train of thought is needed and so far we’ve heard that MacTavish will deliver.  What he does in goal could be his first significant move and dictate whether he’ll follow through on his promises.

The newly named GM of the Oilers, Craig MacTavish held a year-end press conference earlier today and touched on a number of topics and individual players.  Ryan Whitney was one of those players and Mac-T did not skirt the question when asked what Whitney’s future was with the Oilers as Mark Spector tweeted:

MacTavish confirms, Ryan Whitney will not be back. He’ll be on the UFA market. “Ryan Smyth will be back.” Ryan Jones? He’s not sure.

— Mark Spector Sports (@SportsnetSpec) April 29, 2013

Interesting turn of events for Whitney who was a healthy scratch for a handful of games this season for the Oilers.  One scout thought he lost his foot speed and couldn’t play at the NHL level anymore.  A few weeks later Whitney finds his scoring touch and suddenly he’s back into being one of the top four defenseman for the Oilers.

While talk of an extension was never in play, this move shouldn’t surprise many Oiler fans whether they like it or not.

MacTavish stated loud and clear when he was introduced as the new GM that changes were imminent.  That much he promised.  Earlier today he said as many as eight new players could be on the Oilers roster next season.  When you hear that you automatically think of guys like Whitney as one of the players that wont’ be back.

Set to become an unrestricted free agent, Whitney could be in line for an average salary of what he made with the Oilers; in that neighborhood of $4 million per season. It’s hard to fathom that he’d get another six-year deal like the got from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

None the less, that type of money wasn’t coming from the Oilers, not for a guy that was a healthy scratch on more than one occasion this season.

With the Oilers planning on making major changes, Whitney just doesn’t have a place with the Oilers going forward.  There are rumors that Edmonton will be heavily invested on Mark Streit of the New York Islanders should he hit the open market.  Streit, who is making similar to Whitney this season has produced 26 points to the 13 from Whitney.  Streit is five years older than Whitney mind you.

The blue line was clearly the biggest hole for the Oilers this past season and here they are allowing a somewhat mobile defenseman who can still contribute offensively (albeit at a lesser rate than what he has shown in the past) to walk away, further depleting the defense corps.

Regardless, changes are necessary for the Oilers.  Scratch that.  Changes are mandatory for the Oilers and allowing Whitney to leave is the first step towards MacTavish following through on his promise to the fans.

Should they have traded Whitney at the deadline and gotten something, anything for him?  Perhaps, but hind sight is always 20/20.  But as Oiler fans, we’re used to looking in the rear view and saying ‘what if.’  As for the future?  Well that still remains to be seen if we should be buying what MacTavish is selling.  He’s off to a good start by coming out and admitting that Whitney won’t return.