Garon Swapped For Stone, Sabourin
Dobber Sports
2009-01-17
The Edmonton Oilers traded goaltender Mathieu Garon to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday for goaltender Dany Sabourin, centre Ryan Stone, and a fourth-round pick in 2011.
The Oilers Get: Another goaltender, although it is easier for them to swallow a decision to have Sabourin in the press box than it was for Garon. This will open things up a little for Jeff Deslaurier, and I'm sure one of Dwayne Roloson or Sabourin (again) will still be traded. In Ryan Stone, the team adds a two-way prospect with 55-point upside. His upside was closer to 70 in Pittsburgh, but that obviously drops when the quality of potential linemates drops.
The Penguins Get: A goaltender with more experience and a better pedigree. The thinking here is that if they can improve their backup netminder by even 10 percent, then they have improved their squad as a whole – Fleury would play better when pushed, and the Pens are covered if he gets hurt.
Fantasy Players Impacted: Jeff Deslauriers will see a lot more starts. It also becomes quite clear that the Oilers are leaning towards him in the future. Stone's arrival in the Edmonton farm system is yet more bad news for Rob Schremp, who falls another notch down the depth chart ladder.