Last July, the Edmonton Oilers signed Mark Fayne to be a top-four defender for the club. At the time, I loved the move, and I admit I still like it today. Fayne is a legit NHL defender, one who can handle top-four minutes and play a shut-down role.
Fayne isn’t the type of guy that will come in and change a defense, but with a solid partner he can really help. In New Jersey, he was tremendous with Andy Greene, a solid top-pairing puck-mover. In Edmonton, at least in 2014-15, he had no one like that to play with.
Fayne was thrown to the wolves, handling tough opposition and some difficult zone starts while playing with guys like Nikita Nikitin and Justin Schultz for portions of the season. Simply put, that isn’t being put in a position to succeed.
This season, I’d expect differently from Fayne, I think he’ll prove why he was thought of by most as a legit top-four defender before last season. I fully expect him to return to form in 2015-16.
The Scouting Report:
The Hockey News puts together some awesome scouting reports on NHL players. Fayne’s is here, and it perfectly describes his strengths and weaknesses as a hockey player.
| Assets: | Moves the puck efficiently and has offensive ability to boot. Has excellent size for the NHL game. Uses sound positioning to defend capably. |
| Flaws: | Needs to take better advantage of his physical gifts (6-3, 215 pounds) in order to keep opponents honest in when in the attacking zone. |
| Career Potential: | Solid puck-moving defenseman. |
We know Fayne is a decently sized guy at 6’3” and 215 pounds, and we also know he could be a bit more physical. That flaw should come as no surprise to anyone who watched Fayne last season.
As for his assets, this report is bang on. He’s a smart player, one who is rarely out of position and who defends well on a daily basis. I think he’s more of a shut-down defender than puck-mover, but the point remains that he is solid in his own end.
The HERO Chart:
It’s not as pretty as we would like, but it represents Fayne exactly how we would imagine. He doesn’t have much impact on linemate’s goals, but he’s a solid possession player, one who checks out in a top-four capacity.
One thing that will change on this chart next year? Ice time, I think Todd McLellan will use the defender far more than Todd Nelson or Dallas Eakins ever did.
The McLellan Factor:
Last year, Fayne played an average of 17:56 per night, simply not enough for a player of his ability. When you have a steady veteran who can play a shut-down role, you need to use him. Dallas Eakins and Todd Nelson both under played Fayne and rode Justin Schultz far too much last season.
Todd McLellan is a guy who uses his veteran players, especially his defenders. I think we will see Fayne’s ice time shoot back up to around 19/20 minutes per night, in line with a defender of his ability. That will allow the Oilers to have a steady player out there more often, and will allow for Schultz to have his minutes decreased.
In San Jose, Todd McLellan ran a shut-down pairing, usually Marc-Edouard Vlasic and another player, last year Justin Braun. I think Braun is a nice comparable to Mark Fayne, so I think it’s safe to assume that McLellan uses Fayne on his shut-down tandem this season.
Partner In Crime:
If Fayne is going to be on a shut-down pairing this season, who should his partner be? The answer, to me at least, is quite obvious, it should be Andrej Sekera. Sekera resembles Andy Greene to a degree, a guy that Fayne had a ton of success with back in New Jersey.
Sekera is a responsible defender who can move the puck quite well and who posts solid possession stats. He handles tough opposition, plays big time minutes, and has handled a top-pairing role before. To me, at least, he’s the perfect fit for Fayne this season.
Here is Sekera’s HERO chart, which backs up the claim that he is a top-pairing defender:
Final Thoughts:
A lot of people were disappointed with Mark Fayne last year, and I understand that, he wasn’t an impact defender in Edmonton. That said, he’s a solid shut-down veteran who can handle a top-four role and play on a shut-down pairing. No doubt, he’s a solid player who can help you win.
Last year, Fayne played for a terrible team on a defensive unit that was rather weak. This year, he’ll be on a better team with a natural fit as a partner and a veteran coach that will use him properly.
Fayne didn’t impress everyone in year one, but I’d suggest Oiler fans should give him another chance in 2015-16, he is poised to surprise.
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