\What the Jeff Deslauriers Signing Means for the Oilers Future in Goal

The Edmonton Oilers announced today that they have re-signed goalie Jeff Deslauriers to a one-year contract. Normally a small signing like this wouldn't be big news. Heck, you could probably barely call it news.

But for the Edmonton Oilers, it is. And its not just because they are the last place team in the NHL with one of the most rabid fan bases ever.

The reason this signing is kind of a big deal is because now the Edmonton Oilers have three goaltenders signed for next season—Deslauriers, Devan Dubnyk, and Nikolai Khabibulin.

We saw what happened in 2005-06 when the Oilers had a three-headed monster, and again in 2008-2009. None of them were very good and you would think the Oil would have learned from their mistakes. Most had assumed one of the three goalies would be traded this summer, but that hasn't happened. 

So assuming they have, why have they got themselves back in the same situation?

Well there are a number of scenarios:

1) They want Deslauriers and Dubnyk to battle it out for the backup position as they still don't know who will be better. Whoever loses the job will be traded or placed on waivers in an attempt to be sent down to Oklahoma City of the AHL. 

2) The Oilers have one better in mind, but want to keep the other for OKC and don't think that they will be picked up off of waivers by any other team.

3) Nikolai Khabibulin is either still injured and won't be able to play or he will be found guilty of drinking and driving and be sentenced to jail time. In either case, the Oilers will need both JDD and Dubnyk to carry the load like last year.

Who knows what the Oilers plans are. We probably won't find out until training camp, but one of these three scenarios will have happened by the time the puck drops on October 7 against the Flames.