Top Left Header
Header
NHL
Arrow Anaheim Ducks Arizona Coyotes Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Calgary Flames Carolina Hurricanes Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Columbus Blue Jackets Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings Edmonton Oilers Florida Panthers Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild Montreal Canadiens Nashville Predators New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks Tampa Bay Ligthning Toronto Maple Leafs Vancouver Canucks Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitas Winnipeg Jets
(Logo Source: NHL.com)
OHL
Arrow
WHL
Arrow
COLUMNISTS
Arrow
Title - Rob Soria
Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow OurHometown on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Oilers: Dubnyk's struggles have followed him to Music City
By Rob Soria
HometownHockey.ca

Oilers: Dubnyk
In a perfect world, former Edmonton Oilers netminder Devan Dubnyk would love to simply close his eyes and forget the 2013-14 campaign ever took place. Unfortunately it's not that easy and the 27 year old needs to relocate his game and quickly or he could be hardpressed to find himself an NHL job in 2014-15
PHOTO CREDIT - EdmontonOilers.com

Edmonton - January 26, 2014 - In a perfect world, former Edmonton Oilers netminder Devan Dubnyk would love to simply close his eyes and forget the 2013-14 campaign ever took place.

The 2004 fourteenth overall pick not only blew a golden opportunity to prove he was a legitimate #1 NHL starter but was ultimately sent packing to the Nashville Predators in exchange for veteran role player Matt Hendricks.

As disappointing as the opening three and a half months of the year were, Dubnyk appeared to be handed yet another lifeline to try and salvage his season.

With Pekka Rinne on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Preds were in desperate need for a short-term solution in between the pipes.

While the tandem of Carter Hutton and Marek Mazenec have been serviceable since the former Vezina Trophy nominee was placed on injured reserve, both GM David Poile and head coach Barry Trotz felt they needed to add a veteran goaltender for the stretch run. Clearly they believed the Oilers former #1 fit the bill but if his first two appearances in Predators silks are any indication of what they can expect, the move could prove to be counterproductive.

Many still view Nashville as one of the premier defensive sides in the game but that really hasn’t been the case since the departure of Ryan Suter. After being a top ten team the previous two seasons in goals against, 2013 brought a nasty nose dive down the leaderboard.

Even with Rinne seeing action in forty-three of the Preds forty-eight games, they still finished twentieth in goals against and at the moment, Nashville sits twenty-first for the 2013-14 campaign. Is some of that due to their stopper having appeared in just nine games? It certainly does but the numbers aren’t that different from the previous season.

Rinne did have somewhat of an off year in 2013 but that only strengthens the argument of the Predators not being near as good a defensive side as they were during the Ryan Suter/Shea Weber era. That said, many still felt Dubnyk would thrive in a more “defensive minded” system but so far that hasn’t been the case.

He allowed five goals in his debut against the Colorado Avalanche on January 18th and another four in a shootout loss to the Calgary Flames on Friday night. Nashville dropped both games and between the two outings, Devan allowed four or five soft goals against.

Following the game against the Avalanche, Trotz hinted at Dubnyk having picking up “some bad habits in Edmonton” and Oilers fans everywhere can tell you exactly what those habits are.

- shots to the upper half of the net
- long range shots
- doesn’t track the puck particularly well
- plays small
- drops to his knees far too early and often
- allows weak goals against at the worst possible time


Sound familiar? They are the same problems that hindered him in Edmonton over the last number of years…though most turned a blind eye until his horrendous start in October. Unfortunately for Dubnyk, he looks as though he is heading down the same path in Music City and if he doesn’t find a way to turn things around prior to April 13th, he could be hard pressed to find himself much more than your run-of-the-mill backup position come 2014-15.

One would think Trotz will send out #40 to face his former mates in his return to Rexall Place on Sunday night, this despite his continued struggles. For his sake, let’s hope the twenty-seven year old finds his game because this might just be his final chance at proving he still belongs in the National Hockey League.

Follow Me on TwitterRob Soria is the Edmonton Oilers' correspondent for OurHometown.ca. Rob was born and raised in Edmonton and is the author of the Edmonton Oilers blog - OilDrop.ca. He has been a dedicated follower of the game and its history for years but his focus remains on his hometown Edmonton Oilers. If you have questions or wish to contact Rob, you can email him at rsoria@ourhometown.ca







Title - Story Count
3,472 Stories & Growing Daily...

To date HometownHockey.ca has posted a total of 3,472 hockey stories!

Be sure to check out our Columnists archives or, why not Contribute a Story yourself!

HometownHockey.ca offers a very generous revenue sharing opportunity for our Columnists. If you are interested in learning more details about writing for us, please send us an EMAIL.
PucksTrending Story
SHORT SHIFT - Nifty Fifty for Maggio



Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow OurHometown on Facebook Follow HometownHockey on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS




Title - More Headlines
Click on Photo or Story Title for more info
SHORT SHIFT - Nifty Fifty for Maggio
Lasalle Vipers complete a 5-game winning streak with an epic win over the Leamington Flyers
Will Ice Hockey Compete with the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
The most watched Spitfire games of all time
2021-22 Hometown Hockey NHL Playoff Pool
HometownHockey.ca News Database Last Updated:
Mar. 16, 2023 @ 11:05 AM EDT


Footer