Just Who Is Matthew Cairns?

In the final post of the Just Who Is series, I take a look at a little known third round draft choice that may actually be a solid dice roll by the Edmonton Oilers. Matthew Cairns played for the Georgetown Raiders of the OJHL, a tier two junior league, but was still a pretty high selection by the Oilers. That shows that someone, or likely a few people, believe in this kid.

His name peaked my interested on draft day because, to be honest, I was not familiar with him. Today, while educating myself on him, I’ll try to tech the fanbase a thing or two about one of the new Oiler prospects.

So…..Just Who Is Matthew Cairns?:

As mentioned above, Cairns played in the OJHL this past season in Georgetown. In 46 games for the Raiders, he registered 9-24-33. These were his second year totals, so solid production was expected from the rearguard, whose 2015-16 season was an improvement on his 2014-15 numbers of 1-9-10 in 53 tilts.

As for his style, Cairns is often describe as a big and fast defender who has some decision making issues. One of his biggest knocks is that he tries to do too much, something Cairns acknowledged in a piece for The Hockey News late in 2015-16. (h/t to the Cult of Hockey)

“I get kinda carried away on the rush sometimes,” he said. “I have to learn to stay in my role.”

The same report for THN discusses Cairns’ defensive zone coverage, which is described as something he would like to work on, confirming that this player is a work in progress at this time.

Strength wise, Cairns has both size and mobility, has strong skills with the puck, possesses a solid shot and, according to most scouting reports, is smart when it comes to decision making.

From here, it looks like Cairns is an offensive defender with some size and speed. That’s a pretty good fit for what Edmonton is currently lacking at the NHL level.

For those wondering, Cairns is a left shot defender.

What Can We Expect?:

This coming season will see Cairns go from the OJHL to the USHL, where he will suit up for the Muskegon Lumberjacks. I’ll be interested in seeing if Cairns can produce offense at the same rate, or close to it, in a better league. The USHL has really taken strides the last few seasons and is now a more than respectable junior league. It’s certainly a step up from the OJHL.

Other than the offense showing up at a higher level, I’d like to hear about improvements with Cairns’ decision making and his defensive awareness on the ice.

Will He Be a Long Term Oiler?:

While this is an incredibly tough question to answer right now, I can tell you that Cairns is going to be a long term prospect for the Oilers. After his USHL season in 2016-17, he’s slated to attend Cornell and play for the Big Red. That will give him four more years of development time outside of pro hockey.

That’s possibly five years before Edmonton has to make a decision on whether or not to bring Cairns into pro hockey, which likely would mean a year or two of ECHL/AHL time before becoming an Oiler.

This player is likely to be in the system for a while, possibly even seven years, before making it to the NHL. So, while I won’t call him a long term Oiler at this point, I certainly will call him a long term prospect for the club. Hey, he may end up to be more than that.