Peter Chiarelli’s seemingly never ending quest for a puck-moving defender will once again be at the forefront of this coming off-season. The problem is, once again, that options will be limited for a right-shot defender who can move the puck and play on the powerplay.
It’s quite possible, like in the summer of 2015, that the Oilers will have to go the unproven route for a defender. That off-season, the Oilers gave up the 16th and 32nd overall picks for Griffin Reinhart. That deal, in my opinion, is the worst of Chiarelli’s NHL career by a country mile.
Luckily this off-season, there is an unproven option who is a good fit sitting on the free agent market. It isn’t a sexy move, but it could prove to be an astute move that helps the club in 2018-19 and possibly beyond.
Enter Chris Wideman of the Ottawa Senators.
Why Is He Out There?:
Wideman has played in parts of three seasons with the Senators since turning pro in 2012-13 as a minor league piece. The problem for him, after appearing in 76 games in 2016-17, is that he battled major injury in a trying 2017-18 campaign for Ottawa.
Wideman’s games played, and by extension his production, went way down this past season and it looks like he is on the outside looking in with this Sens group.
Ottawa’s defensive group is in flux with Erik Karlsson trade rumors flying, and nothing appears certain after such a disastrous season. A free agent like Wideman, who battled injury, easily could slip through the cracks.
What Does He Do Well?:
Wideman fought his way to the NHL, starting his career with five ECHL games back during the 2012-13 season. He eventually made his way to the AHL that year, playing in 60 games for the Binghamton Senators. He’d stick in Binghamton for the next two seasons, playing 73 games in 2013-14 and 75 games in 2014-15 before catching the eyes of the big club.
Wideman made his NHL debut during the 2015-16 season, spending it with Ottawa and appearing in 64 games. He registered 6-7-13 in those contests with a +4 rating and did enough to stick around for Boucher’s first year at the helm.
In 2016-17, Wideman registered 5-12-17 in 76 games and then added 1-3-4 in 15 playoff games as Ottawa came within a game of reaching the Final.
This past season saw him play just 16 contests, registering 3-5-8. Not bad numbers considering the amount of time he played.
The right-shot defender stands in at 5’10” and 183 pounds, so size could be an issue for some teams. That said, he looks like an NHL player to me and appears to be in need of a second opinion.
Here’s a look at Wideman’s scouting report via The Hockey News.
Assets: Is a quality point-producing defenseman at lower levels. Moves the puck well and is fairly mobile. Also, he can be a fairly aggressive type if needed.
Flaws: Lacks ideal size for the National Hockey League game, so he must make the necessary adjustments in order to maximize output at the highest level.
Career Potential: Mobile, offensive depth defenseman with a little upside.
Where Will He Play/Where Should He Play?:
Wideman averaged just 11:33 TOI per game last year, so he filled in a third-pairing role for Ottawa when he actually played. Looking at his career, that is probably the role that he should play with a team. In fact, on a good defensive group he’s likely to be the number seven option.
Currently, in Edmonton, Wideman would be a third-pairing option who could play on the powerplay. I think both Adam Larsson and pending RFA Matt Benning are both better players than Wideman at this stage of their respective careers.
What Will He Cost?:
Wideman is finishing up a two-year contract that counted $800,000 against the cap each season. He’s likely in for a similiar style contract, perhaps one-year at $850,000. This is going to be a very inexpensive option.
Closing Argument:
Chasing after the big fish on defense has cost the Edmonton Oilers two premium draft picks and Taylor Hall. After all of that, Edmonton STILL has the same hole as they did in the summer of 2015. Expecting the solution to magically appear this summer is, to be quite frank, foolish.
Of course, you always should keep your eye open for said solution because you truly never know when it will present itself, but the Oilers must have backup plans ready to go this summer.
Chris Wideman, in need of a second opinion, is a cheap option that fits on paper and who could prove to be a value contract for Edmonton in 2018-19. There’s no harm in taking a chance on a cheap option like this.
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