Oilers Claim Adam Clendening

The Edmonton Oilers addressed their defensive situation today, well somewhat. The Oilers claimed defender Adam Clendening off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks. Clendening is a young (23 years old) defender who shoots right and who can provide some offense for the Oilers from the point. It’s not a sexy move, but it’s a decent bet.

Scouting Report:

Whenever the Oil snag a new player, I like to look to The Hockey News for their scouting report, their take if you will. You can read Clendening’s full page here, but the scouting report is below.

Assets:	An excellent puck mover, he has very good offensive instincts and can quarterback a power play. Also plays well in his own end of the ice.
Flaws:	Doesn’t have ideal size for an NHL blueliner, so he must get stronger and prove he can defend against big-league power forwards regularly.
Career Potential:	Solid depth defenseman.

Boxcars:

Clendening was dealt along with David Perron to the Ducks eleven days ago on January 16th. That said, he didn’t play a single game for Anaheim, sitting as a healthy scratch. Before then, Clendening spent the year in the Pittsburgh organization. He played in nine NHL games, posting 0-1-1 and six AHL games, going 0-3-3.

2014-15 was split between the Vancouver Canucks and Utica Comets (AHL). In the NHL, he posted 0-2-2 in 17 games, while he went 1-4-5 in eleven AHL tilts.

Clendening’s best season came in 2013-14 when he registered 12-47-59 in 74 games for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

What Does It Mean:

I think this signifies the start of trading season for GM Peter Chiarelli. The Oilers have three RHD that they can move, and they all have some value. Eric Gryba is a pending UFA who is a strong third pairing option, while Justin Schultz is a pending RFA with some puck moving ability. Mark Fayne has term, but he’s a solid shut-down D in the right situation.

Due to contract, I think Fayne will be back next season. That’s not the worst thing either, because I think he’s the best in the group. Gryba should have decent value at the deadline, while I think Schultz could garner you a pick right now. A team might take a shot on him and his potential as a rental in the next few weeks.

Bob Stauffer hinted at as much today, tweeting the following:

P. Chiarelli would’ve seen a fair amount of Clendening at BU and don’t be surprised if the Oilers move out a right shot D within a few weeks

— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) January 27, 2016

Final Thoughts:

I was able to see Clendening a little bit in College (Boston University) and I liked what I saw. He was a really good puck moving defender and, against bigger and older players, he produced at a solid clip. His last two years have been crazy with all the teams he has played for, but there is potential here.

Yes, his skating was an issue and his size was at time a problem, but in his two years at BU I saw him improve quite a bit. I didn’t see these as big issues when he left school back in the spring of 2012.

We are talking about a 23 year old defender who is certainly not done developing and growing. He’s a right-shot and that fits perfectly in Edmonton, as does his skill set, which is offensive to say the least.

Will Clendening make an impact in Edmonton? I’m not sure, but he’s an RFA at season’s end so it’s worth the risk. Edmonton claimed a player who can slide in and play at a position of need. It also opens the opportunity up to move one of those other RHD.

To me, this looks like a solid risk by Peter Chiarelli.

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