The Kris Russell Rumour

Late Sunday night there was an interesting rumour concerning our Edmonton Oilers and a Free Agent Defenceman. The rumour involves Kris Russell, former of the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars as teams he’s most recently played.

Oilers reached out to Kris Russell a couple of days ago. Expect the two sides to start talking numbers/term etc as early as tomorrow.

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) September 19, 2016

https://twitter.com/AzorcanGlobal/status/777682806486863873

Remember: Kris Russell was one of the “big name” free agents on the market. It was initially rumoured that he would be signing a deal worth 5-5.5 million for 5+ years on July 1st. On that day, I said the team who would sign him that long would be the bigger losers that day.

However, like Cody Franson last year, Kris Russell has waited. July 1st went by, so did the entire month. August rolled by and the season is less than a month away.

Who’s Kris Russell?

Kris Russell is really good at blocking shots.

Russell was originally drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2006. A WHL product, Russell has played 11 seasons in the NHL which is impressive. He’s played for Columbus, St. Louis, Calgary and Dallas. Not overly big, Russell is known for being “gritty and a really good guy” (this was according to Doug MacLean on NHL Network Radio a couple days ago). Also, did I mention he’s really good at blocking shots?

Sure, that’s nice and all, but you know what’s the biggest issue with blocking shots? Injuries maybe? Russell hasn’t played a full NHL season. No, it’s not just injuries. It’s the fact that the puck is usually stuck in his zone when he is on the ice.

Now granted, Russell was playing some tough minutes and all summer I’ve been defending Adam Larsson’s poorer possession metrics by using the same argument. However, the difference between Russell and Larsson is that Larsson is actually capable of playing in those top minutes. Just read this article from Jonathan Willis from Sportsnet, circa November 2015. As Willis states:

With Russell on the ice:

• Calgary is bad at generating shots and bad at allowing shots. The Flames get pummeled by any shot metric when Russell is out there.
• Calgary isn’t better at producing high-danger chances, either. The Flames produce the same number of high-danger scoring opportunities with Russell on the ice as they do with Deryk Engelland out there. At least Engelland isn’t on the ice for a lot of high-danger chances against, Russell’s on-ice chance-against numbers are terrible.
• Context doesn’t help much, either. Russell faces only middling opposition and he starts more shifts in the offensive zone than anyone not named Dennis Wideman.

Basically, when Kris Russell was on the ice with Calgary, he was a possession black hole. He was given top four minutes but was far from a top four pairing guy. Unlike Larsson, who has faced top opposition and tough zone starts, Russell had great zone starts and did not face tough competition.

Why Kris Russell?

Great question. For more depth? Problem is, the Edmonton Oilers already have enough players who play the left side on defence. What is actually needed was right handed shots, something Chiarelli even mentioned earlier this off season.

Where would Russell even play? I’ve already established he’s not a top four option, so that leaves Klefbom, Larsson, Sekera and Davidson safe. That means he would be slotted for the third pairing. What a disaster that would be: right now the third pairing is Darnell Nurse and Mark Fayne. Fayne had a horrible season last year and even did time in the minors. Darnell Nurse, as much as I love him, struggled mightily after the first dozen games. He was barely staying afloat in a bottom role. How would Kris Russell help in this regard?

I imagine Russell would replace Nurse on the third pairing, but who moves the puck? Mark Fayne is not a puck mover. No, this is a pairing on paper that would get hemmed night in, night out in terms of puck possession and shots.

I’m definitely being pessimistic about this move, but maybe he could work out as a depth defenceman and solely on the third pair. More depth is always a good thing, but having quality depth is a better thing.

Kent Wilson also had a good post a few months back over at Flamesnation about Kris Russell. Basically, Wilson echoes Willis in a way by stating how overwhelmed Russell was playing top four minutes.

Would I sign Kris Russell?

NO.

Look, I’ve defended Chiarelli and I’m not going to be that guy who thinks this is a fireable offence. That’s not fair to say without a single game played. However, based on Russell’s prior history, what is there to really like?

Also, I do think there are better options out there for what Russell would bring. Jakub Nakladal has looked fine in the World Cup of Hockey. He’s been offered as a choice by many different bloggers, most recently Lowetide at Oilersnation. I even think Eric Gryba is a better option over Russell because at least he’s a right handed shot.

Heck, what if Russell is a 7th man option, I’d rather go with David Musil.

I’m not a fan of this rumour at all. Kris Russell does not fit a need, even as a depth move. There are better options out there and as one said, it would be more like a shot in the foot. The only good I see from this move, is that his name starts with a K (need more Kris with a K on the team) and he could be swapped for a pick. That’s about it.