Oilers Sign Ryan Fanti: The Domino Effect
By Phil Gretzky
If Stuart Skinner has taught us anything this season, I believe it’s that he is NHL ready now. However, with Koskinen having the hot hand right now and Smith getting his game as well, there’s just no room for him on the roster right now.
But next season, when Koskinen’s contract is up? There’s an open spot on the roster, and if Skinner has a good training camp he just might be the next guy. Skinner’s timing couldn’t have been better as he can immediately step in and fill the vacuum and save the team a whole lot of cap space in the process, being that he has another year left on his contract for $750,000. That’s $3.75 million less than Koskinen is making this season.
You better believe the Oilers could use that cap space elsewhere on the roster. Now you know the benefit of having prospects ready to step in for the team.
If Fanti takes over for Smith two seasons from now and one of Konovalov or Rodrigue is ready after that, then it opens up possibilities for dealing a goalie from a position of strength.
And considering Skinner’s past I’m not willing to write off either of Konovalov or Rodrigue despite their lackluster numbers just yet.
Remember, Skinner himself was a terrible goalie for his first two pro seasons, bouncing around between the ECHL and AHL, not really succeeding anywhere.
It appeared he was headed for the scrap heap until Dave Tippett surprisingly called him up for a game against what at the time was one of the worst teams in the league in Ottawa, and although there’s obviously improvements still to be made in an 8-5 win, it nonetheless seemed to be a shot in the arm for Skinner’s career.
After that Skinner went on a tear, and has been one of the AHL’s top three goalies for the past season and a half or so.
This season, between covid and injuries the Oilers were forced to call up Skinner more than they wanted to, but he responded when called upon, putting up a .913 sv% and a 2.62 GAA, both of which are miles ahead of what Koskinen and Smith have done this season in terms of stats.
He’s made excellent progress, and I think he’s ready to take the leap to full time NHLer, unless he completely implodes between now and next season. He’s already won championships in Bakersfield that he’s played a key role in, what’s left for him to accomplish in the minors? What does he have left to learn there? I don’t know.
I could be wrong of course, but I have a feeling our tandem next year will be Smith-Skinner. You read it here first.
Skinner’s promotion, of course, means there’s a roster spot in the minors to be had for next year. The whole reason Fanti is on an amateur tryout this year is there’s less pressure on him and more familiarity for him as he goes into his first paid hockey gig next season.
If all goes well Fanti could leapfrog to the top of the heap in short order just like Skinner did last season. Konovalov and Rodrigue will still have someone else pushing them both, it’ll just be a different guy with a different name.
If Skinner wasn’t ready for prime time and still needed more seasoning, you really think the Oilers would sign another guy to crowd the crease in the minor leagues? Unlikely. Skinner is ready to take over for Koskinen next year, and that opens up a spot in the minors – enter Fanti.
Oh, and he already has a moustache with a Twitter account, just like Ryan Smyth’s mullet did.