Fantasy or Fiction: The Return Of The Bulin Wall

Regrets, I’ve had a few. Probably none bigger this fantasy season than failing to pick up Edmonton Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin when I had the chance.

Coming out of training camp this season, and just prior to my draft, I had decided that this would finally be the year that Devan Dubnyk emerged as the Oilers’ #1 netminder. The 25-year-old Dubnyk, the former 1st round pick (14th overall in 2004), had a solid preseason and seemed to be the perfect choice to take over the reigns in Edmonton, where an undeniable youth movement was well underway.

Khabibulin, after all, appeared to be all but washed up at this stage of his career. Two years removed from back surgery. An abysmal 10-32-4 season a year ago. And an embarrassing 30-day stint in an Arizona jail for a DUI conviction this past summer. The Bulin Wall hadn’t just developed a few cracks, it had crumbled. Or so everyone thought.

I ended up taking Dubnyk as my third goalie in the draft, not even acknowledging Khabibulin as a potential threat to Dubnyk’s ultimate rise to the throne. Apparently, nor did any of my fellow poolies, as every single GM passed on the 38-year-old netminder in our draft, leaving the former Stanley Cup champion to wallow on the waiver wire.

Hindsight being 20-20, I’m now kicking myself for not hedging my bet. I could’ve smartly picked up Khabibulin as a free agent and secured the Oilers goaltending tandem, at least guaranteeing my squad all of Edmonton’s goalie starts. Instead, I’m left holding the bench door, stuck with a backup who rarely plays, as Khabibulin proceeds to post god-like numbers in net for the Oilers, the biggest surprise team in the NHL this season.

To put his play in perspective, Khabibulin, who’s currently in the third year of a 4-year, $15 million deal with the Oilers, is undefeated so far in regulation this year, posting a 7-0-2 record in nine starts, allowing a mere nine goals over that span. His miniscule 0.98 GAA and .964 save percentage are, in a word, ridiculous.

Perhaps even more unbelievably (or impressively), Khabibulin is currently the number-1 ranked player in (Yahoo!) fantasy hockey.

If he keeps this stellar play going, there’s a couple of NHL records Khabibulin could make a play for this season. Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff holds the (modern day) record for lowest GAA in a season, recording a 1.70 goals against average (in 39 GP) back in 2003-04 – ironically, the same year Khabibulin led the Lightning to a seven-game Cup victory over Kipper’s Flames. Boston’s Tim Thomas, meanwhile, set the single-season record for highest save percentage a year ago, when he recorded a .938 Sv%, en route to winning the Cup.

Oilers’ Head Coach Tom Renney will undoubtedly continue to play the hot hand. Khabibulin has helped propel Edmonton to second place in the Western Conference (through Tuesday), their scintillating start giving Edmonton’s burgeoning young guns a legitimate shot at a playoff berth this spring, the first time that’ll have happened since their Cup run back in 2005-06.

For myself and Dubnyk (2-3-0, 2.19, .930), we can only watch and wait.

Q: Do you think Khabibulin will keep up his stellar play between the pipes for the Oilers all season or will the Bulin wall crumble?

Follow Dan following fantasy hockey all season long on Twitter @Dan_Berlin