RE 11-12: Nikolai Khabibulin

Nikolai Khabibulin finished 45th out of 47 goalies in save percentage last season. His .890SP in 47 games actually improved after he came back from his injury; the first portion of the season, he went 15, .879 for the young Oilers. During that time, backup Devan Dubnyk was 4, .923 between the pipes. In the year before he arrived in Edmonton, the man from Sverdlovsk finished 6th in the NHL among regulars with a .919SP. The Chicago team in front of him would win the Stanley just one season later with what could be described as very average goaltending. How much improvement could we expect from Nikolai in front of a better team? Who knows? All we do know is the issue in front of us is a quite different one: in a sport where roster spots are given to only the very best available players, how much of a leash do the Edmonton Oilers have for their aging Russian? NHL prediction for 11-12: 10, 3.40 .895 So it's over? That's my prediction. I think it's reasonable. He could make a...