Montoya in familiar role fighting for backup job
Last year’s Edmonton Oilers backup goalie Al Montoya knows the score.
The Oilers gave Mikko Koskinen $2.5 million in a free-agent deal after last season, which gives the Finn from the KHL a leg up on Cam Talbot’s understudy, who has $1.125 million remaining on his contract. But the 33-year-old Montoya also knows if the Oilers don’t want him after training camp and try to send him to their American Hockey League affiliate in Bakersfield, Calif., another NHL team could claim him on waivers.
So he’s auditioning for more than one team in the pre-season.
“I know I can win in this league and that’s what I plan on doing,” said Montoya, who has a career 67-49-24 record with Arizona, the Islanders, Winnipeg, Florida and Montreal as well since being the sixth overall pick in the 2004 draft by the New York Rangers.
Montoya, who could play Monday in Calgary or Tuesday in Vancouver, shrugged off the signing of Koskinen as part of the business. This is the second time they’ve been in the same organization, going back to the Islanders in 2010-11.
“This league is filled with great goalies,” said Montoya. “I got traded there (to the Islanders from Arizona for a sixth-round pick) and they had a bunch of goalies and I was backing up Mikko. He got pulled and that was my first chance there.”
The Islanders used Montoya, Dwayne Roloson and Rick DiPietro for the bulk of the games that season with the six-foot-seven Koskinen, Kevin Poulin and Nathan Lawson also getting work.
He liked Koskinen then and likes him now. There’s no animosity at all. Maybe because the goaltenders union is a small group.
“Mikko hasn’t got any shorter. I look at him and say, ‘You’ve got to go down every day (to stop pucks) and that’s tough,’” Montoya, who is five inches shorter, said with a laugh.
Montoya had concussion issues in Montreal when he took a Dustin Byfuglien shot to the head before the Oilers gave up a draft pick for him. He also took a ding in the head area here in March, missing games.
“I’m feeling healthy and ready to go. Last year was one of my tougher years. When you get hit in the head, people think it’s black and white, but it’s not,” said Montoya.
Does a goalie every get gun shy after concussions, maybe flinching at high shots? “It’s a great question, but I wouldn’t say so because you don’t have time,” he said.
Montoya played nine Oilers games last year with Edmonton giving up a fourth-round pick when they decided Laurent Brossoit wasn’t the answer as Talbot’s No. 2. He had a 2.94 goal-against average and .906 save percentage. He was better coming off the bench for Talbot than when he started.
Montoya is a proven backup with 168 games under his belt. The Oilers signed Koskinen, though, believing he could push Talbot, although the jury’s out. Koskinen seems to have quick feet, but is a blocker of the puck, not a catcher of shots.
“I thought I had some good moments here and that’s something I can build off,” said Montoya.
This 'n that: Scottie Upshall, who failed his physical because of a knee issue, may be on the ice Monday if he gets the green light. Upshall has missed the first three days on ice ... The Oilers have sent three kids back to their junior clubs: winger Kirill Maksimov (Niagara IceDogs), goalie Olivier Rodrigue (Drummondville) and defenceman Dmitri Samorukov (Guelph). Maksimov and Samorukov could play for Russia at the world juniors, while Rodrigue has a fair shot with Canada.