Rollie’s play making things tough for GM

Dwayne Roloson is as marketable as any 39-year-old puckstopper can possibly be, but do the Edmonton Oilers really want to get rid of him to solve their three-goaltender situation?

Roloson was stunning with 41 saves in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win over the Sharks in San Jose as the Oilers made it three straight wins for the first time since they won four straight to start the season.

In the last month, Roloson’s gone way beyond showing other teams he could be a low-cost pickup for anybody needing a veteran back-up or fill-in starter. Truth is, he’s been better than either Mathieu Garon or Jeff Deslauriers.

Long term, Roloson’s obviously not in the plans because of his age, but what about here and now? At 13-11-2 and with a chance to make a move in the standings over the next 10 games with seven of those at home, what to do?

Does GM Steve Tambellini pick up the phone and see if there’s any takers for Roloson or does he ride him the rest of the season and try to move Garon? It’s a tough call, but juggling three goaltenders just doesn’t work in the long term.
 
LUMP OF COLE
Nobody is going to accuse Erik Cole of not trying, because that’s not the case, but he continues to struggle mightily in terms of offence.

With one assist to show for the two-game swing through California, Cole has 3-5-8 in 26 games. The three-time 20-goal-scorer hasn’t found the back of the net in 11 games and has just one assist in his last six.

It’s the worst start of his career.

“It’s tough to feel real positive about things when you’re not contributing as much as you’d like,” said Cole, playing right wing on a line with Ethan Moreau and Kyle Brodziak. “Hopefully, it’s around the corner.”

After failing to fit on the left side with Shawn Horcoff and Ales Hemsky, Cole has looked better with Moreau and Brodziak, but his $4-million salary is steep for a third-liner.

WHILE?I’M?AT?IT … I haven’t been a big Dustin Penner fan, but with 4-6-10 in the eight games he’s played since coach Craig MacTavish put him in the press box Nov. 15 to 17, fans have seen how good he can be … Rob Schremp, who has three assists in three games since being recalled from Springfield of the AHL, and Gilbert Brule, summoned before the San Jose game, have a window of about a month to prove they belong in the line-up every night before Fernando Pisani and Steve MacIntyre return from injury.

– In a decade covering the Edmonton sports scene, Robin Brownlee has been the news-breaker and insightful voice for sports fans in Oil Country.