Olivier Rodrigue deserves NHL starts with the Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers have perhaps the most documented positional need in the entire league at the moment. The Jack Campbell signing was supposed to shore up Edmonton’s crease, but it has done anything but. Last year, Stuart Skinner was able to make up the slack, but he’s now in a sophomore season where he is experiencing struggles and inconsistencies as a clear cut starting goalie.

Meanwhile, Campbell has been bad in the AHL since his demotion, now sitting as the back up in what seems destined for a trade or offseason buyout. Beyond the two goalies that started the year in Edmonton, it’s clear that the organization doesn’t trust Calvin Pickard at the NHL level based on his deployment, and his previous track record and the eye test back that up.

What Rodrigue brings to the table

Meanwhile, Olivier Rodrigue has been an extremely bright spot for the Bakersfield Condors. Entering his start on Friday night, Rodrigue had an AHL leading .938 SV and 2.09 GAA, with a 5–2–2 record in 10 total appearances. In the four games since Campbell firmly lost the net, Rodrigue has been even better, posting a .942 SV%. Rodrigue currently sits second in AHL Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA)—which compares each goalie’s save percentage to league average then prorates that over the number of shots faced—with 11.68 GSAA.

The Condors don’t have the best defensive core this year either, and when considering the extra games that Pickard got early and Campbell got after his demotion, it looks even better for the Saguenay, Quebec native. Rodrigue is facing 32.3 shots per game, the fourth highest nightly workload among goals with at least 10 games played, while saving 1.16 goals above average, the most among that cohort. This all comes after Rodrigue played extremely well last year as well, finishing top 10 in AHL SV% in 2022–23.

Rodrigue looks to be one of the best goalies in the AHL, without much more to prove on paper. It should be a priority for the Oilers to get a look at him in NHL reps at some point during the 2023–24 season, with the former second—round pick becoming waiver eligible next season. Bob Stauffer has hinted that Rodrigue could see a recall in January, as soon as the game on January 6 against Ottawa. When that opportunity comes. what can we expect out of the 23-year-old?

Strengths: post Play, skating, and tracking

Going back to his time in the QMJHL, Rodrigue has played a technically based game. It has shown through that his Dad is Sylvain Rodrigue, the current developmental goalie coach for the Oilers organization, with Olivier’s technique being the strength of his game.

This starts with his post play. Whether it be transitions off the rush into his posts, lateral plays, or jams below the goal line going side to side, or low to high transitions, Rodrigue moves better than any other goalie in the organization into and out of his posts. Rodrigue primarily uses reverse-VH in these situations, which has his post side pad along the ice while the weak side skate is engaged on the ice. This allows him to push his chest up on shots, which helps make up for his smaller 6’1″ frame.

The strong post play is partially due to Rodrigue’s excellent skating. There’s not a lot of wasted movement when it comes to Rodrigue, keeping his upper body calm through efficient rotations and strong pushes. This allows him to gain proper position in the vast majority of situations, helping make tough plays easier.

The skating is aided and also helps with his tracking. I’ve talked about how the biggest thing that ails Campbell is tendency to pull off the puck, but Rodrigue is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Rodrigue is almost always tracking the puck well, moving into the puck trajectory, closing on shots as they are directed towards the net. This is especially noticeable with his gloves and ability to use his chest to make saves. Combined that with the good positioning, Rodrigue is able to make saves look routine with regularity while controlling rebounds. This typically leads to sustained success and the ability to move up levels.

Rodrigue also has weaknesses

No player is going to be perfect. And with Rodrigue being a prospect, there are still definite areas for improvement as he looks to advance to the next level.

The first is pretty minor, but could lead to some unneeded goals down the road. Rodrigue has a propensity to use his pads rather than a stick angle on shots along the ice. This typically leaves pucks a bit closer to the net than they would be with a stick save. He’s pretty good at angling those rebounds where he wants them to go, but it can result in some extra work if an opposing player is in the wrong spot.

Another area Rodrigue could improve on is his ability to deal with traffic. Rodrigue is not the tallest netminder at 6’1″, which makes navigating through sightlines difficult with the variety of bodies moving through the offensive zone. Rodrigue’s initial look is to try to look over screens, which can be tough at his size and with an screens closer to releases. Additionally, he probably sticks with that read a tad long before trying to look around the obstructions to his sight.

The last area for improvement is likely the toughest play in the sport: cross ice passes. Skating is definitely a strength of Rodrigue’s game, but when there’s long passes across the seam that require big rotations, he can get caught spectating (when a goalie observes the pass without starting to move) and pushing flat. He generally has the leg strength to get across a bit, but it doesn’t end up being square and can make situations tough on himself.

The Oilers should give him a shot

Olivier Rodrigue has established himself as one of the AHL’s premier netminder. He’s among the league’s best in SV% and GSAA, and when considering his age, looks poised to take a step to the NHL. Rodrigue’s strong technical game, which emphasizes positioning, tracking and skating, looks like it should be able to transition to the NHL with success. Rodrigue could improve his stick saves, tracking through traffic, but those are areas of continuous improvement and would be relatively minor compared to the bulk of his strengths.

There’s not much left for Rodrigue to prove at the AHL level except perhaps expanding the sample size of his strong play. The biggest thing to find out is if Rodrigue’s game will hold up with the increased pace and skill at the NHL level, which I believe it will based on the fundamentals that he relies on.

With the young netminder becoming waiver eligible next year and with the Oilers need for a goaltender, the time is now to see if one last Peter Chiarelli draft pick can aid Ken Holland’s club.