New-Look Oilers – Part Four

So far this week, we have looked at the additions in the front office, behind the bench and in goal. Tonight, we look at the main area of focus this off-season, the blue-line. Luckily for Oiler fans, the team took this hole very seriously for the first time in years, and made a couple of additions to plug some major holes while letting some players walk.

The Subtractions:

Philip Larsen, who was quite adventurous to say the least, signed in the KHL, as did Anton Belov. Larsen was a pure chaos defender who could move the puck, but couldn’t do much else and was simply a number six or seven guy. Belov showed some promise, but was not consistent and apparently did not like playing for “That coach” according to himself. He was a third pairing guy.

Mark Fraser is gone too, and he likely won’t be missed. Sure he was big and tough, but Fraser struggled defensively and couldn’t produce anything when it came to offense. He’s an AHL level player and shouldn’t be slated to start a season on any decent NHL team.

Prospect Oscar Klefbom will likely be subtracted too, going from the NHL to the AHL. He looked good post-deadline, but still needs some work. This is a good thing for both the player and the team, as Oscar looks like a real gem in his development stages. The Oilers need to be careful with him, and leaving him off the NHL roster to develop in the minors is smart.

Overall, the Oilers will not miss Fraser, Belov or Larsen. None of those players made an impact in the NHL, and all of them were easily replaceable. In regards to Fraser and Larsen, you can argue that addition by subtraction applies to them. Yes, it was that bad at times this year.

The Additions:

The Oilers added three options for the NHL roster this summer, and all fill different needs. The smallest one was Keith Aulie, who is a tough shut-down defender that showed promise early in his career. He’s got some good size to him, has the ability to play physical, and plays a defense first style. We can debate how much value those guys have, but Edmonton loves that style, and got their guy.

Aulie, who has fared better than Fraser at the NHL level, will take over that number seven role from the departing tough guy, and represents an upgrade for the Oilers. Aulie won’t be a difference maker, but he’s a decent player and can fill a role at both the NHL and AHL level. He’s insurance to push the young kids back too, and that’s highly important.

The other add on July 1st was former Devils’ defender Mark Fayne, who was the big get for Edmonton. He’s a right-shot defender that plays a very sound defensive game. He’s a stay-at-home guy that can make and take a pass, and has had success playing minutes against the top competition in the eastern conference.

He’s still pretty young, and while not a puck-mover he can move the puck in the right direction. Advanced stats love this guy, and a deeper look at his quality of competition suggests he isn’t doing this against second-rate opponents. He’s not a stud top-pairing guy, but Fayne is a legit top-four defender who has proven himself at the NHL level against top forwards. That’s a huge get.

Nikita Nikitin’s rights were traded to Edmonton prior to the draft, and the defender was signed before July 1st hit. He gives Edmonton another proven player that can handle his own at the NHL level. He’s struggled the last two seasons, but he’s had some success before, and has played solid NHL level hockey his whole career in the big leagues.

His exact role is likely that of a top-four defender, and he had success in that spot when first acquired by Columbus. Interestingly enough, his results are better with more and not less ice time, so that will be something to watch as the year goes along. He’s got a bomb of a shot, and while he isn’t an excellent puck-mover, he’s certainly adequate with that skill.

Nikitin is likely a solid number four or five defender, which gives Edmonton another proven option that can handle the NHL game and not be in deep. It’s also worth noting that even though he has struggled a bit the last two years, he’s still been decent for the Jackets.

Overview:

Last year the Oilers played 82 games, but did not dress an NHL level defense in about half of them. It was a huge issue, and it derailed them from game number one of the season. The Oilers elected to address this hole and did so in a pretty big way. Edmonton did not come out with a top-pairing defender, but it seems like the effort was there, and MacT decided to get creative to make things work.

The Oilers added a legit top-four defender at the NHL level who is proven in Mark Fayne, who is much better than any of the outgoing players from last year. Nikita Nikitin is also a guy that has handled top-four minutes before, and is proven at the NHL level, while Keith Aulie is more than formidable as the seventh option for the team.

Most importantly, it also pushes the young defenders like Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, and even Martin Marincin further down the line-up, allowing them to properly develop. That’s key, because Edmonton has rushed young players before and severely hurt their development, like Sam Gagner and Ladislav Smid.

Overall, Edmonton’s defense is improved in a big way. The team added two potential top-four options and a solid depth option while also pushing their young players down the lineup. That’s pretty big. This is still far from a championship level defense, but it’s improved and getting closer to a playoff level unit.

Justin Schultz and Jeff Petry could also take steps forward with new assistant Craig Ramsay coaching the unit, and the new additions easing their assignments and time on ice. If that does happen, this unit is even better.

All in all, Edmonton, for the first time since the start of the 2009-10 season, has seven NHL defenders on their roster. Man the harpoons boys, this is an NHL level unit and a vastly improved one at that.