Are The Answers Down South?

We all have our list of players that we would like to see added to the Edmonton Oilers before training camp opens up in September, roughly eight months from now. The Oilers will need to improve their defensive unit, their goaltending and their size issue. We know this, and it’s clear from interviews that both Craig MacTavish and Kevin Lowe know this.

While the Oilers must add some of these players via free agency and trade (And they will), it’s impossible to think every hole can be filled from outside the organization. The fact of the matter is, if this rebuild is going to work, some of the answers are going to have to come from down south, specifically from Oklahoma City.

The Oilers, under Steve Tambellini, were under the mandate to draft need over skill starting in the second round these last few years. The results? Edmonton has a lot of bigger forwards and defenders in the system. Some of them look pretty good, while others look flat out unpromising.

There are a lot of players at the junior level that look promising. Last year’s first rounder, Darnell Nurse, looks like he’ll be a player, as do forwards Marc-Olivier Roy, Greg Chase, Bogdan Yakimov and Anton Slepyshev. Early returns on last year’s draft look good. Mitch Moroz, a Tambellini pick playing in the WHL, looks pretty good as well, and could be good down the line.

The realistic expectation for the players mentioned above however, with maybe the exception of Nurse, is that they are at least three years from the NHL. The help from them isn’t on the horizon. The answers need to come from somewhere else. Could they come from the current edition of the Barons?

Martin Marincin:

“String bean”, as the OKC faithful call him, has been a pleasant surprise for the Oilers during his second call-up. He’s got decent size, but isn’t overly physical as a player. That being said, he’s got pretty good offensive instincts and is overall a very smart hockey player. He’s shown quite well, especially the last two games. His minutes are steadily going up, and he’s looking more and more like an NHL defender.

I’m willing to bet he spends most of the remainder of the year in Edmonton, getting the chance to build off of this good stretch of games. Marincin won’t be a number one defender anytime soon, but he is certainly looking like a capable NHL option with top-four upside moving forward. Heck, I’d say he’s already jumped Corey Potter, Philip Larsen and Nick Schultz. He’s a big form of help.

Oscar Klefbom:

The 2011 first round draft choice has battled injury problems, and has barely played the last two seasons. He’s battled some injuries at the AHL level this year as well. He’s not going to be a terrific offensive defender at the NHL level, but what he will be is a top-four guy that has a high hockey IQ, and plays a strong shut-down game. He’s shown some signs in OKC, but still needs work.

I’ll say we see him at some point this year, heck MacT has already said as much. Klefbom is going to be on the Oilers depth chart, but I’m not sure we can count on him to be a regular soon. I’m thinking he’ll need at least one more year at the AHL level.

Curtis Hamilton:

Hamilton will miss the next five weeks roughly with a knee injury. It’s another blow to the pending RFA and 2010 second round pick. Hamilton has battled injury just about his entire pro career and it’s had a major impact on his development. Hamilton is a bigger body who has some offensive ability. He isn’t going to score a bunch, but his game is showing signs that he could be a top-nine forward.

His size and physical game, coupled with good fundamentals and a little scoring touch, could make him one of those missing bottom six pieces for the Oilers. I’m suspecting he gets a shot late in the year, and a good look in training camp. He could be ready to jump into a fourth line role next season, although I wouldn’t bet on him making the team out of camp. That said, he’s finally on the right path.

Tyler Pitlick:

Pitlick, another 2010 draft pick, finally showed signs of life late last year during the final stretch of the AHL season. He had a strong playoff and kept the ball rolling with a strong training camp and start to the AHL season. He’s got decent size, decent offensive ability, and is an all-around good hockey player. He’s two-way game is decently good as well, and he could be a solid third liner in Edmonton.

He played well in a call-up stint earlier this year, but an injury during that stint put a damper on what had been a few good months. I suspect Pittty ends the season in Edmonton, and would actually wager he is in the bottom six group next season. He’s got the size and part of the skill set that this team is looking for right now.

A Few Honorable Mentions:

Forward Anton Lander will no doubt see some more NHL time this year. Lander has potential to be a good fourth line center, but he needs to show he can produce some kind of offense. Roman Horak could be a bottom six winger down the road, while defenders Martin Gernat and David Musil have shown some good development this year. That said, both Musil and Gernat will need at least one more year of AHL hockey before they can be looked at as real NHL options.

Sooooo:

The Oilers pipeline doesn’t have any game-changers up front, all those guys are already in the NHL. It does, however, have a plethora of potential NHL bottom six forwards and a lot of size to it. How many of these guys will pan out? I’m not sure, but there are some good signs with some of those players. Defensively, the Oilers have some awesome potential with Marincin, Klefbom and Nurse as possible top-four guys, with some good depth options in Gernat, Musil, and Davidson.

Are the answers down south? I think it is very possible that Curtis Hamilton and Tyler Pitlick are answers for Edmonton’s size and bottom six issues. We could see that as soon as the trade deadline depending on what happens. I also think Martin Marincin has a shot to be an answer, and he is already proving that with his solid stint in Edmonton. We’ll get to see Klefbom some time soon too.

Edmonton will need to make some trades and will need to sign some UFA’s, but some of the answers are right below their nose, sitting in Todd Nelson’s stable in good old Oklahoma.