Let’s Go UFA Shopping!

Man has climbed Mount Everest. Gone to the bottom of the ocean. Has fired rockets to the moon. Split the atom. Achieved miracles in every field of human endeavour. And the pinnacle of his success is certain. The 2015 UFA defenseman. In orange and blue.

Tomorrow is UFA day. At the top of Peter Chiarelli’s shopping list has to be a top-4 defenseman. On draft weekend, he added two defensemen (Griffin Reinhart and Eric Gryba) and subtracted one (Martin Marincin). Reinhart and Gryba project to start the season as the Oilers’ bottom-pairing. Top-4 defensemen they are not (though hopefully Reinhart will develop into one). So are there any UFA defensemen available who could be plugged into the Oilers’ top-4? Listed below are the top UFA defensemen aged 35 and younger. (I’m assuming Chia Pete isn’t looking to sign someone older than 35, though I could be wrong.)

Player/Shoots/Age/Former Cap Hit
Mike Green/R/29/$6,083,333
Paul Martin/L/34/$5,000,000
Christian Ehrhoff/L/32/$4,000,000
Zbynek Michalek/R/32/R/$4,000,000
Francois Beauchemin/L/35/$3,500,000
Johnny Oduya/L/33/$3,75,000
Cody Franson/R/27/$3,300,000
Barret Jackman/L/34/$3,166,666
Andrej Sekera/L/29/$2,750,000
Matt Irwin/L/27/$1,000,000
(Numbers courtesy of General Fanager)

I’ve identified five players listed above as prime targets for the Oilers: Mike Green, Christian Ehrhoff, Zbynek Michalek, Cody Franson, and Andrej Sekera. Below I’ve included a player usage chart for each UFA. (If you’re unfamiliar with player usage charts: (1) the bigger the bubble, the more ice time; (2) a blue bubble indicates a positive Corsi number; (3) an orange bubble indicates a negative Corsi number; (4) the horizontal placement of the bubble shows zone starts; (5) the vertical placement of the bubble shows quality of competition; (6) all numbers are even strength.) I’ve also added a quote for each player from The Oilers Rig‘s Alex Thomas’s Off-Season Targets series.

Mike Green

After having his ice time cut by new Capitals’ coach Barry Trotz, Green is probably looking for greener pastures. Mike Green, at the right price, is a good fit as an offensive defender for Edmonton’s second pairing and top power-play unit. He’ll cost a fair amount of cash, but if the Oilers feel he can help, I think it would be a worthwhile investment. He can’t be the only addition this summer, but he can help if added in the right role (Alex Thomas, “Off-Season Targets: Mike Green”).

Christian Ehrhoff

It looks like Ehrhoff wants to sign with a contender, so you can probably scratch his name off the list. He’s a very good offensive defender, with sublime passing ability. He’s terrific at getting the puck out of the zone and to the attacking forwards, and he can more than handle himself in the offensive zone. He has a decent shot, and is certainly capable of handling power-play time (Alex Thomas, “Off-Season Targets: Christian Ehrhoff”).

Zbynek Michalek

Michalek had concussion issues last season and was acquired by St. Louis prior to the trade deadline. The player usage chart is from his full season with the Coyotes in 2013-14. He isn’t a top-pairing defender, but Zbynek Michalek is a solid NHL player. This is a proven top-four option that represents a clear improvement over guys like Andrew Ference, Nikita Nikitin and Justin Schultz. This is a solid, shut-down defender that can anchor the second pairing and play with a solid puck-mover if need be (Alex Thomas, “Off-Season Targets: Zbynek Michalek”).

Cody Franson

The player usage chart for Franson is from 2013-14, when he played a full season for Toronto. If Edmonton signed Franson and acquired another top-four option, this could work. Franson could play a major role on the power-play, and play on a second-pairing with Oscar Klefbom that feasts on easier zone starts. If the Oilers can set him up to succeed, Franson would be a terrific addition (Alex Thomas, “Off-Season Targets: Cody Franson”).

Andrej Sekera

If I had to guess which of these five defenders are most likely to sign with the Oilers, I’d say Sekera. Sekera is a proven top-four defender in the NHL who plays an offensive oriented game and is a strong possession player. If you buy-out Nikita Nikitin and sign Andrej Sekera, you are instantly better on the blue-line. This would be a strong target come July 1st for Peter Chiarelli if he elects to go the free agent route (Alex Thomas, “Off-Season Targets: Andrej Sekera”).

Every UFA day, hockey fans suffer from sticker shock. “Did the Leafs really sign Jeff Finger for $3.5 million per season? Who is Jeff Finger?” So don’t expect this year’s crop of UFAs to go cheap. Remember that Jeff Petry recently signed with Montreal for $5.5 million per season for 6 years. If you expect Green, Ehrhoff, Michalek, Franson, or Sekera to sign with the Oilers for a bargain, you’re living in a fool’s paradise.

Let’s say the Oilers add Sekera. The defensive pairings would look something like this:

Sekera-Fayne
Klefbom-Schultz
Griffin-Gryba

This leaves the captain Andrew Ference and Nikita Nikitin without a spot, which is probably alright with the majority of Oiler fans. Darnell Nurse will also be pushing for a spot in training camp, but he can start the season in the AHL.

Of course, signing free agents isn’t the only option left for the Oilers to improve the defense. A trade is also possible. Dion Phaneuf, anyone? Maybe Chiarelli can pull a Snow job, picking up a defenseman from a team in salary cap trouble. Nobody knows how this will turn out. What we do know is that the Oilers’ glaring weakness is the defense, and one or two defenders need to be added this summer.