The Oilers have a ton of problems, but in my mind the biggest one is their blue-line. To me, it is the worst constructed unit in the NHL, with only two proven top-four options, two of the worst defenders in the NHL, a young kid trying to find his way, and a veteran playing in over his head most nights.
To say Edmonton’s blue-line is in shambles is being polite. It’s an absolute mess, and it falls right at the feet of GM Craig MacTavish, who has made the Oilers WORSE in each of his two seasons running the show. That’s a fact, it’s not an opinion. Go look it up.
Mark Fayne is a solid shut-down defender who can play on the PK and post good possession numbers. He’s a perfect second pairing guy, someone you can trust in a decent role. He’s a top-four defender, about to enter his prime, and is under contract at a fair value for a few seasons.
Jeff Petry is the other proven top-four guy, but Edmonton doesn’t value the all-around defender, and is likely to ship him out before the trade deadline for a bag of magic beans, leaving the Oilers with only one proven option. Oh joy.
Andrew Ference is a decent third pairing defender that is physical and can play a shut-down role, while Oscar Klefbom is a really good prospect who is starting to develop into an everyday NHL’er. He’s not ready to be a full time top-four guy yet, but he’s getting there, and will be a big part of the future no doubt.
As for the others, well let’s just be polite and say tire fire. Nikita Nikitin and Justin Schultz are two of the top ten worst defenders in the NHL today.
Nikitin is slow, soft, and unable to play good defense at this level. He’s afraid to use his size, constantly gets blown past by forwards, and struggles to make any kind of solid defensive play. He’s constantly getting beaten in foot races, physical battles and overall hockey plays. He’s bad, and doesn’t look like he can cut it at the NHL level currently.
As for Schultz, I’ve watched this game my entire life, and I honestly do not think I’ve seen a defender worse in his own zone. Schultz is certified USELESS defensively. He is actually afraid to throw a hit, is constantly out of position, and ALWAYS is the guy costing around and lost when a goal is scored against the Oilers. He actually looks worse defensively now than he did when he first got to the NHL.
To make matters worse, he is a non-factor offensively. He’s a mess on the power-play, actually useless there, and his offensive totals have gone down in each of his three seasons. Ladies and Gents, that is regression at it’s finest. Right now, Justin Schultz would not be playing in 29 other NHL cities. This is an AHL player.
Schultz will hit RFA status this summer, while Nikitin has one more year left on his contract. If the Oilers are smart (NEWSFLASH: THEY ARE NOT SMART) then both of these guys will be gone next season.
Nikitin is an easy buyout candidate. He’s got one year left on his deal and Edmonton is no where close to being a cap team right now. I can actually see the Oilers going this route, and losing Nikitin is honestly addition by subtraction. He’s been a huge bust of a signing, right in the range with Eric Belanger and Cam Barker from the summer of 2011.
As for Justin Schultz, I’d trade him for anything. I’m serious, anything. If a team calls and offers me a second round pick, I take it. If you can’t get anything, don’t qualify him in the summer, he’s not a player capable of handling the NHL right now, and is a liability every time he touches the ice.
Unfortunately, Edmonton likely signs Schultz to a multi-year contract at a higher figure than he is currently making. Which, by the way, is a fireable offense for the GM in my books.
What will the Oilers need to be competitive for next season on the blue-line? Two top-four defenders in my mind, one on the left side and one of the right side of the unit. My picks? Johnny Boychuk and Marc Methot. Neither is the sexy name, but both are proven top-four guys, fit Edmonton’s style, and are MASSIVE upgrades on Schultz and Nikitin
Methot-Boychuk
Klefbom-Fayne
Nurse-Ference
I like the looks of that blue-line a lot, in fact it’s a unit that I’m actually comfortable with going into the season, full on understanding that there will be growing pains with Klefbom and Nurse at times. It’s a lot better than this unit, but will also be a little more pricey than the current group.
What are we likely to see? Something much, much worse than this I think. The Oilers love Justin Schultz, so he’ll be back next season. Edmonton is also hellbent on Darnell Nurse being on the roster, so throw him in there. What you’re likely looking at?
Nurse-Fayne
Klefbom-Schultz
Ference-low level UFA
The looks of the unit? Time to go refill the beer fridge and enjoy another season of playoff-less hockey! A lot of young players and an AHL’er.
Now, our friends at thefourthperiod.com believe that the Oilers are looking to add two defenders to their current group, one a top-pairing defender and another being a lower on the depth-chart shut-down guy. If Edmonton’s off-season were to consist of that, I could live with it. Just make sure Nikitin and Schultz are leaving town.
The Oilers have a TON of issues right now, but the biggest one is on their blue-line. Edmonton is the worst team in the NHL in this regard, and it hasn’t gotten better in over five years now. With guys like Nikitin, Schultz and even Ference being brought in to fill big holes, it’s no wonder this team is awful each and every season.
If Edmonton ever wants to improve and stop being the joke of pro sports, then they need to fix this blue-line. Phase one is cutting out the fat. It doesn’t matter if you like advanced stats or not, the stats and the eye point out which players are the issue here.
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