The debate about fighting in hockey and the enforcer role will rage on for the foreseeable future. Personally, I think fighting has a spot in the league, but I feel the enforcer is a dying breed. All 12 forwards and six defenders need to be able to play the game at a high level, and some guys just can’t do that. That’s why we are seeing fewer and fewer of this player type.
On Wednesday, the Oilers waived their resident tough guy, Luke Gazdic. I haven’t been Gazdic’s biggest fan during his tenure in Edmonton, I didn’t see his worth to the NHL roster. His first two seasons were tough, the team was bad and Gazdic, quite frankly, wasn’t really good.
I thought he improved quite a bit this season and that he was playing his best hockey as an NHL’er, I really mean that. Gazdic was starting to be a bit of a factor on the forecheck and actually was moving the puck in the right direction. Turning a corner? I’m not sure, but it was certainly improvement.
That all said, Gazdic had only dressed in 28 games this season and was routinely a healthy scratch throughout the month of January. In fact Todd McLellan had elected to go with seven defenders on some nights over dressing Gazdic.
With Brandon Davidson ready to come off the IR in time for Thursday’s game in Ottawa, something had to give. Unfortunately for Gazdic, it was the right move to waive him.
What Does It Mean?:
Edmonton’s defense is about to get really tight. Adam Clendening played on Tuesday night and he caught my eye in a good way. Mark Fayne has settled in nicely with Andrej Sekera and should stay in the lineup, while Griffin Reinhart and Eric Gryba have teamed up to form quite a nice third pairing for the Oilers.
McLellan should probably give Darnell Nurse a night off on Thursday, but I doubt we see it. I’m high on Nurse, but he’s struggling right now and should likely watch the game from press row for a night to get a different view. Put him back in on Saturday, but let him watch for a night to reset and get back to his earlier level.
The Oilers will most likely go with eight defenders for a period of time, but something is going to give when Oscar Klefbom returns from the IR later this month. My bet? Justin Schultz is sent down the line via trade.
For now, however, it means that there is some roster stability for the Oilers. The team likely won’t be getting Klefbom back within the next week or two so things should stabilize in this regard, it won’t be musical chairs.
It also tells us that the Oilers believe both Zack Kassian and Iiro Pakarinen can better fill roster spots. Both could have been sent down without waivers, but both have been in the lineup on a nightly basis and have played quite well. This shows that, for now, they have both won full time NHL jobs.
A Word On Gaz:
I may not believe that the enforcer role is meaningful anymore, but please don’t mistake that for disliking the person or the player. Luke Gazdic won me as a fan with his hard work and battle. He tried his ass off every single night in Edmonton and didn’t back down. His job is one of the toughest in professional sports and I’m not kidding.
The fact of the matter is, at this point, Gazdic is not one of the 23 best players in the organization. As a result, Peter Chiarelli made the tough but right decision to place him on waivers. Gazdic, when he gets to the AHL, will play just about every night and will get a chance to work his way back to the NHL. This certainly isn’t the end of the line for him.
I wish him the best, he seems like a great guy and I admire his work ethic and battle level. That all said, this was the right move by the Oilers and I’m glad to see them making these tough choices.
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