As we trickle into the month of August, some NHL free agents are now accepting tryouts with certain teams. Maxim Lapierre is the biggest name, as he’ll tryout with the Rangers this September. Many people believe that the Edmonton Oilers will go this route with a defender or two should they be unable to acquire a player that can move the puck and run a powerplay.
That makes sense, as the biggest hole on Edmonton’s roster currently is that exact player. Ideally, Edmonton acquires a top-four defender to play that role, but with Tyson Barrie re-signing in Colorado, that will not be happening. Edmonton’s top option might be signing James Wisniewski, but at this point there has been no indication that the sides have talked, let alone are close.
Should Edmonton miss out on Wisniewski, what could they do to further bolster their blue-line? Looking at the available players that could come on a PTO, one name stands out to me.
Meet Matt Bartkowski:
The 28-year old defender who played last season for the Vancouver Canucks is currently an unrestricted free agent and looking for work. He’s got a connection to the Oil, which makes him a guy worth watching. Prior to joining the Canucks, Bartkowski was a member of the Boston Bruins, under the watchful eye of Peter Chiarelli.
A Chiarelli acquisition, Bartkowski was developed and eventually employed at the NHL level under Chia’s watch, playing parts of five seasons with the club. His two full years in Boston, 2013-14 and 2014-15, saw him act as a decent mobile defender for the club.
His boxcars don’t scream offensive defender, but he did post decent assist numbers in his first full season. He registered 0-18-18 in 64 games in 2013-14, then posted 0-4-4 in 47 games in 2015-16. His game began to fall apart late in 2015-16 and he was eventually relegated to pressbox duty for Boston.
In 80 games this past season, Bartkowski scored 6-12-18 for Vancouver.
The Scouting Report:
As always, I turn to our trusty pals over at The Hockey News to provide us with a scouting report on the player. The full player card is here.
| Assets: | Skates very well and is plenty mobile from the back end. Likes to be engaged in the play and isn’t afraid of physical contact. Is a solid puck-moving D-man. |
| Flaws: | Could stand to add more strength to his 6-1 frame, so as to better defend against big forwards at the highest level. Lacks consistency on offense. |
| Career Potential: | Mobile depth defenseman. |
Bartkowski is absolutely a depth defender, his career high in points is just 18 and he’s only scored six goals in his NHL career. One thing I noticed about him in Boston? He is extremely inconsistent as a player and has trouble with defensive coverage from time to time. Judging by Canucks people I’ve talked to, those issues were there again this year.
Final Thoughts:
The Oilers badly need to add an offensive defender to their depth chart before the start of the 2016-17 season. Unfortunately, the options are very slim for this position right now. Wisniewski is the top dog, but after him I don’t see anyone that I would sign to a contract right away.
There are, however, players that I would test drive and Matt Bartkowski is one of them. He’s not going to push the needle too much, but he can move the puck adequately and handle a depth role. He also saw some powerplay time in Boston, so he would be of help in that regard.
He’s not a sexy option and he may not even make the team, but Matt Bartkowski is certainly a player of interest for a PTO. His skill-set matches the Oilers’ needs and he has a connection to the man in charge.
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