Garon is 35 and looking for a job. He's nothing more than an average back-up who can occasionally catch lightning in a bottle. But that's not enough to bring fantasy value.
Garon will once again play mentor to a younger goalie on the rise. He struggled last time when pressed into consistent work as the starter so it's clear he's best served in a support role. Wise fantasy folk will handcuff him to Anders Lindback -- the kid's just 24 and has three dozen or so NHL games to his resume. There could be moments where Garon strings together three or four starts, and the handcuff will come in handy.
Garon is a capable back-up who has shown that he can deliver starter minutes in two-to-three week stints. But he hasn't had a save percentage above .910 since 2007-08, so he's certainly not going to steal games with his skills. Draft him only as a handcuff for Dwayne Roloson in daily leagues. Other than that, he has minimal fantasy value.
Garon did an admirable job stopping biscuits when No. 1 netminder Steve Mason struggled in 2009-10, taking to the ice for 35 games. Also noteworthy, it's safe to say that Garon enjoys playing at home. In 13 games, he was 6-0-4 with a sterling 2.22 goals-against average. It's Mason's goalie job to lose, but expect Garon to get his fair share of starts between the pipes in Columbus, especially if the team stumbles out of the gate again with Mason at the helm.
Garon will provide Steve Mason with the veteran backup he lacked as a rookie, but shouldn't see more than about 20 games of action.
A nice fantasy surprise, Garon went 26-18 with a 2.66 GAA in 47 games for the Oilers this past season. Only drawback is the Oilers will keep three goalies on the roster until they are able to deal one of them, probably Dwayne Roloson. If and when Garon is named the starter, he should be a solid number two fantasy goalie.
Solid off-season pickup by Edmonton. Garon should be a capable backup to Dwayne Roloson and may alleviate the need to start the 38-year old netminder for 60-plus games again.
He will play backup to starter Dan Cloutier, and may have to battle for that role. He's not worth owning in any league at this point.
