On The Mark

There was a collective sigh among Oilers fans when Sam Gagner suffered his broken jaw in the pre-season. The team had no center depth and looked to be in big trouble down the middle. Then RNH came back early, and has been awesome in three games, and Boyd Gordon impressed beyond expectations. Will Acton has been okay in 4th line duty too as expected, all good things. That said, there is something surprising about the Oil down the middle.

The biggest positive from the Oilers to this point has been Mark Arcobello. This is a player who has surprised everyone through five games and has turned himself into a player worth watching. The former Yale Bulldog, who was never supposed to have an NHL career, is totally shattering any and all expectations at the NHL level.

Arco went undrafted and signed on with the Oilers following his senior season in 2009-10. He would split the 2010-11 season between the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder and the AHL’s OKC Barons. He became a full time AHL’er in 2011-12, scoring 43 points in 73 games for the Barons.

Last year was Arco’s coming out-party. The guy who was too small to ever play the pro game took off for the Barons, scoring 68 points in 74 games. He was terrific in the playoffs too, scoring 20 points in 18 games. He also got to center Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle during the NHL lockout, and even got a game in the NHL. It was more than anyone ever expected out of the kid from small town Connecticut.

Then came this season. Arcobello got a vote of confidence from new GM Craig MacTavish and got a roster spot thanks to Gagner’s injury. Now it looks like he has earned that spot, and it’s going to be tough to take it away from him once Gagner returns.

Arcobello has five assists in five games, and could very well have two goals too. Ondrej Pavelec robbed him opening night, and Jonathan Bernier absolutely robbed him on Saturday night of a goal that would have put the game away. He’s been creating chances offensively and has actually been respectable defensively. He’s looked like an NHL player out there.

He’s also a +4 on the season, which is pretty good for a team that has given up over 20 goals already. He’s got some good chemistry with Jordan Eberle too, who is currently on his right wing. We saw the duo work some real magic on Saturday night, with Ryan Smyth riding shot-gun (That line will stick when the Oilers take on Washington tonight).

Arcobello is also 60.8% in the face-off circle, and has been the second best Oiler in that regard behind Boyd Gordon, who is one of the best in the league. That’s been a huge area of concern for years for the Oil, and Arco looks like a solution there.

He’s proven he can at least handle the NHL game, and in my mind I think he has earned a longer look.

What should the Oilers do when Sam Gagner gets healthy? No doubt Gagner will step in behind RNH as the second line center, so that leaves Arco and Acton the only two question marks.

Personally, I’d go RNH, Gagner, Arcobello and Gordon down the middle. There’s some skill there and there is that tough defensive guy in Gordon. It certainly looks decent if you ask me.

Center depth has been an issue for a while for the Oilers, but it looks like the got it right on the Mark in regards to Arcobello. He’s earned his spot, and has been a pleasant surprise thus far. Will it continue? I’m not sure, but he’s earned the right to try and prove it.