Mark Fraser is, in my mind, the most confusing hire of the summer by the Edmonton Oilers. The defender is well surrounded as a player, has proven to have limited NHL ability, and has already been through one tour of duty with the Edmonton Oilers.
Fraser didn’t play a single NHL game last season and only played in 34 tilts back in 2014-15. It seems like other organizations, specifically New Jersey and Ottawa, view his as an AHL option. The real question is, in my mind, what do the Oilers view Fraser as?
It’s been two years, so it’s time to revisit the question, just who is Mark Fraser?
So….Just Who Is Mark Fraser?:
Mark Fraser is a tough as nails defender who is willing to provide sandpaper to any team’s lineup. He plays a stay-at-home style of hockey and isn’t exactly a strong puck mover. One of the things that I remember about Fraser in his first stint is that he panicked quite a bit when he had the puck on his stick.
Like so many defenders these last ten years, Fraser was guilty of throwing grenade passes up to his forwards. When he was on the ice, you expected the puck to be stuck in the defensive zone for Edmonton. Fraser has acknowledged that puck movement is an issue and he worked on that this off-season. Jason Gregor interviewed him and you can read about it here.
As mentioned above, Fraser did not play in the NHL last season. He spent the duration of 2015-16 in Binghamton of the AHL, Ottawa’s affiliate. In 60 AHL tilts, Fraser posted totals of 2-5-7, displaying his issues with the puck and his limited potential as a player.
Here is Fraser’s scouting report from The Hockey News:
| Assets: | Has good size, decent mobility and the ability to play a physical game from the back end. Usually plays it safe in the defensive zone. |
| Flaws: | Doesn’t have a lot of offensive ability, so he’s never going to play regular minutes on the power play. Needs to show greater consistency. |
| Career Potential: | Physical depth defenseman. |
What Can We Expect?:
A lot of people expressed anger at the Fraser signing back on July 1st. I agree that is a confusing move, but I don’t really think it is a big deal. Fraser, at this stage of his career, is established as an AHL shut-down defender. After losing Brad Hunt to free agency, Edmonton had an opening for a veteran at the AHL level.
I think Fraser will get a look in camp, he’s big, tough and has NHL experience, but I don’t think it’s realistic to expect that he makes this team. We should expect Mark Fraser to play most, if not all, of the season at the AHL level and handle big minutes as the veteran leader in Bakersfield.
It’s possible that Fraser gets a recall during the season, in fact I think it is fair for Oiler fans to expect a game or two from him this year.
Will He Be A Long Term Oiler?:
No, he won’t. Fraser was brought in to do a specific job, and that is to play in the AHL and be a leader for the young blue-liners that Edmonton employs at that level. I think he might get a few games as a call-up late in the season, but other than that this is a simple minor league addition.
This is likely just another one year pit stop in Alberta’s capital for the rearguard….if he even makes it that far north.
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