As per Darren Dreger the Oilers are among as many as 14 teams who are interested in signing College Free Agent goaltender Matt O’Connor. Dreger lists Edmonton and all of the Canadian teams except for Winnipeg and Montreal as being keenly interested in the 23 year old. It had been reported the Oilers were interested in this player before Darren Dreger's latest, but now the College Free Agent could be close to making a decision.
O’Connor is 6’5… and 204 pounds according to the Boston University website so he has the size that NHL teams really covet and he has been steadily improving his numbers every year at Boston University and the USHL before that. Here are those numbers
2010-2011 Youngstown Phantoms 29GP .886 sv% 2011-2012 Youngstown Phantoms 50GP .902 sv% 2012-2013 Boston University 19GP .910 sv% 2013-2014 Boston University 22GP .920 sv% 2014-2015 Boston University 25GP .929 sv%
He was doing well on a relatively poor club last year. With the addition of Jack Eichel the BU squad has become something of a powerhouse squad and O’Connor’s numbers have jumped up as well. He is the classic late blooming goaltender. Looking at his numbers from his Draft eligible years it’s obvious why he was never drafted, but goalies are voodoo magic and there’s almost no telling how they develop.
The TSN Insider said that teams have already promised him playing time and it’s hard not to think that the Oilers are among those making that promise. With Fasth out with a knee injury and Scrivens playing even in back to backs it’s obvious the Oilers don’t trust their backup right now.
Not only that, but they will need to replace Fasth for next season and O’Connor may be a diamond in the rough that can get the job done. Worst case scenario he ends up in the AHL, but the club will have a better idea of where he’s at over the last 20 games of the season.
In terms of opportunity, Edmonton represents a big one for any goaltender right now. Or at least it appears that way. There’s no telling what the team will do in the offseason, as help in Net is one of their most dire needs. If O’Connor is up to the challenge the Edmonton Oilers might be a great place to land. They have a clear need for a goalie and the only young netminder in the system that looks like he might have a future is Laurent Brossoit.
He’s got his pick of teams, it sounds like, but Edmonton has huge question marks in Net from top to bottom of the organization. It could make them very attractive to an undrafted Goalie looking for an organization where he can stand out.
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