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Dwayne Roloson has been terrific for the Edmonton Oilers.

And his stand-out goaltending has played a major role in the Edmonton Oilers' unlikely run to the Stanley Cup finals. A lot of talk has suggested he should get serious consideration to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

That's why the Oilers, once it was revealed Roloson has a third degree sprain of his MCL and won't return for the rest of the playoffs, are all but done and the dream of acquiring Lord Stanley is on life support.

Hey, call me a jerk for making that statement. But put it this way: If their backup goaltending is so great as the Oiler players claim (as they have to), why did they bother acquiring Roloson at the trade deadline?

Easy: Because Ty Conklin and Jussi Markkanen have been inconsistent all-season long and simply aren't reliable to keep the puck out of the net. That game winning goal scored by Carolina near the end of the game wasn't during the time Roloson was keeper. Conklin tried to pull a Spezza with a blind pass, but he forgot he isn't a forward, he isn't in the attacking zone and more importantly he's behind his own net.

It was a horrible way to end such an entertaining, fast-paced hockey game, but to me it was simply foreshadowing the fate of Canada's Edmonton Oilers. Whether coach Craig MacTavish puts Conklin or Markkanen won't really matter...Roloson is the man that can give them the Stanley Cup, and with him out of the picture I don't know how anyone can predict Edmonton will come out of this on top.

I just hope I'm wrong.