Scrivens Trade- Good or Bad Decision?
Today it was announced that Los Angeles Kings backup goalie Ben Scrivens has been traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2014 third round draft pick, meanwhile regular goalie Devan Dubnyk has also been traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Matt Hendricks!
Trading Scrivens is either a stroke of genius by Edmonton or pure silliness by LA because this player has been one of the finds of the season since he deputised so superbly for regular Kings goalie Jonathan Quick back in November, and so far he holds a record of 7-5-4 with a 1.97 GAA! This also included 10 shutouts and two first star performances (one of which I witnessed against the Rangers at the Garden).
Being Quick's backup is a bit like being Petr Cech's number two at Chelsea, which is unless something drastic happens, you don't even consider leaving the bench! So in that light, this move will give the guy game time, which he is not assured of at LA. But also it weakens the Kings backup as only Martin Jones will line the bench. Though Jones has proven OK so far in his appearances.
Oilers fans will no doubt be relieved to see the back of Dubnyk because he has struggled and has been the fall guy for their poor form this year. But he will be welcomed by Nashville fans because in the continued absence of Pekka Rinne, Cam Hutton has struggled to hold down the fort and was widely criticized after their loss to Carolina! Dubnyk will now have a clean slate in Tennessee and more importantly, fans without particularly high expectations!
Mike's edit: While it's clear that this is a dumb move by LA, we really have to know Scrivens' own motivations before we can decide if this is a good move for him. There's a Tradeoff which comes with the extended ice-time; the Oilers haven't graced the playoffs since the 2005-06 season. Based on current form, this season isn't going to change that. The chances of Scrivens lifting silverware with the Oilers is slim, but then not all in the NHL are there for the cup.
That said and done; at the end of the season, Scrivens becomes a free agent, so who knows what will happen.
Trading Scrivens is either a stroke of genius by Edmonton or pure silliness by LA because this player has been one of the finds of the season since he deputised so superbly for regular Kings goalie Jonathan Quick back in November, and so far he holds a record of 7-5-4 with a 1.97 GAA! This also included 10 shutouts and two first star performances (one of which I witnessed against the Rangers at the Garden).
Being Quick's backup is a bit like being Petr Cech's number two at Chelsea, which is unless something drastic happens, you don't even consider leaving the bench! So in that light, this move will give the guy game time, which he is not assured of at LA. But also it weakens the Kings backup as only Martin Jones will line the bench. Though Jones has proven OK so far in his appearances.
Oilers fans will no doubt be relieved to see the back of Dubnyk because he has struggled and has been the fall guy for their poor form this year. But he will be welcomed by Nashville fans because in the continued absence of Pekka Rinne, Cam Hutton has struggled to hold down the fort and was widely criticized after their loss to Carolina! Dubnyk will now have a clean slate in Tennessee and more importantly, fans without particularly high expectations!
Mike's edit: While it's clear that this is a dumb move by LA, we really have to know Scrivens' own motivations before we can decide if this is a good move for him. There's a Tradeoff which comes with the extended ice-time; the Oilers haven't graced the playoffs since the 2005-06 season. Based on current form, this season isn't going to change that. The chances of Scrivens lifting silverware with the Oilers is slim, but then not all in the NHL are there for the cup.
That said and done; at the end of the season, Scrivens becomes a free agent, so who knows what will happen.
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