After winning six games in a row and joining the playoff chase, the Edmonton Oilers have lost three in a row and sit two points out of the final playoff spot in the Pacific. A big reason for their three straight losses? The team’s defensive unit. To say it has been bad would be a complete and total understatement.
One thing has to be said before I go any further here. A lot of blame falls on Oiler management, both past and present. Craig MacTavish gave this team the gears when he signed Andrew Ference, Nikita Nikitin and Mark Fayne to their respective contracts. Peter Chiarelli helped out with Andrej Sekera but didn’t do much else when there was real and tangible help (Cody Franson) sitting on the market for nothing in September.
The group, as currently constructed, is not good enough to compete in the NHL. Edmonton’s defensive unit has players in roles that, quite simply, are way too high for them. Darnell Nurse shouldn’t be on the top-pairing at 20 while Justin Schultz probably shouldn’t be anywhere near a team’s top-four.
The Top-Pairing:
Andrej Sekera is Edmonton’s best defender right now. He and Oscar Klefbom, before his injury, were carrying this unit and it wasn’t debatable. Sekera can move the puck and can handle a top-pairing role in the NHL. As the veteran of this unit he has settled in quite nicely and I’m oddly calm when he is on the ice. I enjoy him very much as an Oiler and I’d wager he is a long-term option for this team’s top-four.
Darnell Nurse is a long-term option for the top-four in Edmonton, in fact he’s likely to be an option as the team’s number one defender moving forward. Nurse isn’t afraid and he knows how to effectively play defense, that’s a great sign. He’s also physical and he’s actually getting by in a big role at age 20. I think Nurse needs to be eased in a little more, but unfortunately Edmonton does not have that luxury.
This unit is handling the tough minutes for Edmonton, and while I like them, they simply can’t be the only competent unit. With Oscar Klefbom out, they are the only unit that can handle top-four minutes.
The Nightmare….errrr Middle Pair:
Nikita Nikitin and Justin Schultz playing together is a sick joke, that’s the only way I can describe it. Nikitin actually hasn’t looked awful since he returned from the AHL. I thought he played well in Boston and New York last week, and while he made some mistakes in Chicago and Colorado, he wasn’t overly bad. If he’s on the third pairing, I’m okay with it right now.
Schultz, on the other hand, well let’s just say I’m out of patience with him. He’s the softest defender in the NHL, a guy who doesn’t understand how to set himself up positionally and a guy who is actually afraid of phyiscal contact. I’ve honestly never seen someone worse against the forecheck, he folds like a cheap suit. It’s beyond frustrating to watch him play hockey at the NHL level. Matt Henderson sums up my feelings on Schultz quite well here.
The mistakes that Schultz makes cost Edmonton severely. He has not looked good recently and he was the goat of all goats in Colorado on Saturday night, in fact that might have been his worst game to the eye. I know what the stats say, but boy, I can’t get over the mistakes I watched.
The Third Unit:
I actually like this pairing, but only in limited minutes. Eric Gryba is a nightmare with the puck but he’s actually solid when it comes to defending and he plays a tough game. He was awful in Colorado, but wasn’t close to the worst Oiler on the road trip.
Brandon Davidson is giving Edmonton competent two-way hockey and is winning me over as a fan. Like with Klefbom and Sekera, I feel comfortable when he is out on the ice. He’s a big time win for the Oilers developmental system, that’s for sure.
In limited minutes, I really like this unit and think they can more than survive as Edmonton’s third pairing.
Mark Fayne:
In his last NHL game, Mark Fayne was hot garbage. That said, over the course of the season, Fayne really hasn’t been that bad. Actually, I’d say he has been one of Edmonton’s four best defenders. Is that saying much? No, he’s struggled at times mightily, but it’s a fact.
Fayne has been a good NHL player before, he was strong in New Jersey and wasn’t bad last season. If he can play that way again, then Edmonton is better off.
Final Thoughts:
This unit is, on some nights, a complete and utter tire fire. Peter Chiarelli failed to completely patch up this unit over the summer and his team is paying for those sins right now. Andrej Sekera was a mammoth addition, but he can’t do it on his own.
When Edmonton gets Oscar Klefbom back from injury, they’ll improve. They’d also be wise to keep Mark Fayne up and to move Justin Schultz and Eric Gryba or Nikita Nikitin to the press box.
If I were coaching, pairings of Nurse-Sekera, Klefbom-Fayne and Davidson-Nikitin would see action starting Saturday in Vancouver when Klefbom could return. Is it good? I’m not sure, but it is certainly better than what we are seeing.
Edmonton’s defense is costing them mightily right now. Part of that has to do with management’s inability to address the holes and their desire to evaluate while part of it has to do with awful execution and flat out half-assery from guys on a nightly basis.
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