Martin Marincin – What’s Going on?

Whenever we made mock rosters and depth-charts over the summer, there was a number of players that we could write in with pen, being fully confident that they would suit up on opening night. As we sit less than 48 hours from the season opener, one of those players is already off the roster, and it wasn’t due to a trade. Martin Marincin, who played really well last year, was sent to Oklahoma City on Sunday afternoon.

Marincin looked good in training camp to my eye, and showed up with an added couple of pounds of muscle, which is what Edmonton wanted him to do. The problem? His conditioning wasn’t good enough for coach Dallas Eakins’ liking, and his performance in camp apparently wasn’t up to par either.

Both Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse made the squad, while Marincin got sent to Oklahoma territory even after being the team’s second best defender for a long stretch last year behind Jeff Petry. Something just doesn’t make sense here.

Why?:

I’m not 100% sure why the Oilers decided to send Marincin to Oklahoma, I’m really not. My best guess however, is his training camp performance. Many people pointed out that Marincin started out slowly in pre-season action, and that is a fair assessment. I felt like it took him two or three games to get his feet under him and get back to form, but I thought he was clicking by the end of camp.

Another issue could be his fitness level, which is VERY important to coach Dallas Eakins. Marincin came in noticeably bigger after adding a significant amount of muscle in the off-season, but his speed and conditioning took a hit. Now, I’m no fitness expert, but everything I’ve read up suggests that no matter what you do, your conditioning level will go down when you bulk up, that’s just how it works.

It seems possible that Klefbom and Nurse, who both looked good also in camp, got the benefit of the doubt and were rewarded for being in top shape while Marincin is getting ‘taught a lesson’ for not being in top shape.

That’s kind of absurd if you ask me however, because the Oilers WANTED Marincin to put on this muscle. This strikes me as a little hypocritical, and if I were Marincin, I’d be pretty mad.

Another possible reason? Edmonton wants to give Nurse a nine game trial and feels like playing Marincin 30 minutes a night for two weeks in Oklahoma City is the best option for his development. I disagree with it, but it’s much more defensible than the other two possible reasons.

So, What Now?:

Marincin will report to Oklahoma City and serve as the Barons number one defender. He’ll likely play somewhere between 25-30 minutes a night down there, and handle both power-play and penalty killing duties. He’ll get valuable development time, and will likely play a leadership role as well for the young Barons. He’s by a mile the team’s best blue-liner.

As for the Oilers, they’ll go with Ference, Schultz, Fayne, Petry and likely both Nurse and Klefbom with Nikitin injured currently. It won’t last long, but both of the youngsters will likely see ice time during game number one. Nurse will likely get his nine games and then be returned to juniors, while Klefbom could get sent down should he struggle with the big club.

This is more about giving Nurse a chance to impress in meaningful games and to get a taste of everyday life in the NHL. It’s what teams have done before, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise. As for Klefbom, the club really believes he is a key part of the future, and if his time is now then so be it. Edmonton values Klefbom a lot, and will give him every chance possible to live up to that belief and his draft pedigree.

Will We See Marty Again?:

Yes, absolutely we will. In fact, I think we see Marincin get recalled once Nurse is sent back to the OHL at the nine game mark or earlier of the season. This isn’t, unless he totally dominates, a permanent roster spot for Nurse this year, it’s more of a test for the youngster to see how close he really is, and an experience to give him a taste of the NHL life.

Oilers insider Bob Stauffer tweeted that he would be “Very surprised” if Marincin isn’t back in Edmonton by the ten game mark of the season, which falls right in line with my thoughts on Darnell Nurse. Clearly, Edmonton values Marincin as an NHL-level defender and someone that will, at some point, contribute to this team this season.

To me, it isn’t even a debate whether or not Martin Marincin is one of the top-six defenders in the Edmonton Oilers organization. He absolutely is. He can move the puck well, has tons of potential, and is solid defensively. He’s a great player, and was an absolute godsend last season for this club. In the 44 games he played, he was easily one of Edmonton’s best two defenders, alongside his partner Jeff Petry.

This season, wins and loses will matter more than ever in Edmonton, and the bottom line is Martin Marincin can help Edmonton win some games. Regardless of the message Dallas Eakins wants to send about fitness, Martin Marincin can help, and as a result he will see the ice wearing Oiler orange and blue for at least 60 games this season.

The Bottom Line:

The demotion of Martin Marincin is not defensible by the Edmonton Oilers. He clearly is one of the team’s top-six defenders, and makes the team better when he is out there. Yes, he started slowly in training camp, but he did everything you asked of him during the off-season and performed very well in 44 NHL games last season. Defense is your weakness, and you have a perfectly good internal option to fill it. USE HIM!!!

That all being said, I do think some people are overreacting a bit to this demotion. Yes, it is surprising and I disagree with it, but the Oilers seemingly have a plan here. Use Nurse for nine games, and then bring Marincin up for the rest of the season. It isn’t the best idea, but it’s not like the team is just dumping Marty. He’ll be back, and likely sooner rather than later.