nhl
Oilers become first NHL team to dress full-time emergency backup goalie
Brett Epp wore No. 00 for Edmonton while fourth-stringer Matt Tomkins started, with three goalies out injured or ill. New NHL rules this season require teams to carry EBUGs on the roster.
The Edmonton Oilers became the first NHL team to dress a full-time emergency backup goalie Thursday night, with Brett Epp in uniform for their game against Anaheim, ESPN reported.
Epp wore No. 00 while Matt Tomkins, the fourth-string goalie, started for the Oilers. Tristan Jarry was out with illness. Devon Levi and Frederik Andersen are injured.
This is the first season NHL teams have been required to carry emergency backup goalies on their rosters. The rule change came after years of teams scrambling to find a goalie when both of theirs went down in the same game.
EBUGs travel with the club and wear No. 00. They cannot have previously played in the NHL under a standard contract, must have 80 games or less of professional experience, and cannot have suited up professionally in the three preceding seasons.
What the coverage missed
ESPN’s report is straight news. It does not explain how the Oilers got here.
Edmonton traded for Jarry and signed Andersen in the offseason, expecting the two to share the net. Levi was acquired as depth. All three are now unavailable. Tomkins, who started Thursday, is the fourth option. Epp, the EBUG, is the fifth.
Before this season, the home team provided an EBUG for both benches. That goalie sat in the press box and came down only if someone got hurt during the game. The new rule puts an EBUG on every roster, every game. The Oilers are the first team whose depth chart ran down to that slot.
The rule was designed for exactly this scenario. Three goalies out, one dressing from the EBUG pool. What makes it notable is that it took until November for it to happen. NHL teams carry two goalies and the EBUG is insurance. Edmonton is cashing the policy.
What I think
The rule works. The Oilers have a goalie in uniform who is eligible and available. That is the point.
What it reveals is how fragile goaltending depth is in the NHL. Edmonton has three goalies on the roster and all three are out. The fourth-stringer is starting. The EBUG is the backup. This is not a roster. It is a triage unit.
The Oilers are not unique. Every team is one or two injuries from the same situation. The EBUG rule is a recognition that the league cannot prevent goalies from getting hurt, but it can ensure someone is always available to put in the net. Edmonton is the test case. So far, the test passes.