When the Edmonton Oilers go shopping for offensive defenders this off-season, they will need to get creative. There is a very limited number of these players available and very few of them actually move. If Edmonton can get a Tyson Barrie, Sami Vatanen or Justin Faulk, it must be considered a home run. Oiler fans should prepare for the plan B options too, however.
While he’s not a big name and he is older, Dennis Wideman is a possible candidate for Edmonton to pursue via trade this off-season to fill the RHD void. Could the Flames and Oilers come to terms on another trade? Crazier things have happened.
Why Is He Out There?:
Calgary will need to re-sign young star Johnny Gaudreau this off-season, which will cost a pretty penny. Sean Monahan, Joe Colborne and Josh Jooris, all top-nine forwards, will need to be re-signed as well. The Flames will be spending a significant amount of money this summer. In addition, Calgary desperately needs to find a goaltender to handle the starting role next season. That too will cost money.
Dennis Wideman is going to cost $5,250,000 this season on the cap, a significant number. Considering his issue late in the season when he was suspended for hitting a ref and how he had a poor year, it’s easy to see why the Flames would want to move on. Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman wrote the following in his 30 Thoughts a few weeks back (He admittedly was speculating on this, but it’s interesting nonetheless):
22. Does Dennis Wideman to Edmonton make sense to anyone? Peter Chiarelli acquired him and traded him in Boston.
What Does He Do Well?:
Dennis Wideman is, all things considered, a pretty strong offensive defender at the NHL level. While he is coming off of a bad season, the veteran has been pretty good for the Flames. This comes after strong stints in Washington, Florida, Boston and St. Louis. That said, Wideman has been inconsistent throughout his career, and every so often he does have bad seasons just like the 2015-16 one in Calgary.
Wideman is an extremely good puck-mover, he’s one of the more underrated passers in the game today. He can move the puck in the right direction and he can set things up in the offensive zone. He’s able to fire off crisp passes, not the usual grenade passes the Oiler forwards are used to receiving. His specialty is moving the puck to the attackers.
Wideman also has a pretty good shot and can play on the powerplay. Throughout his career, with 2015-16 being an exception, Wideman has usually posted very strong offensive numbers on the man advantage. He’s a potential solution to the Oilers lack of a powerplay QB and a threat from the point.
Lastly, Wideman can handle big minutes (averaged 20:36 last season) and he is a right-shot defender.
Where Will He Play / Where Should He Play:
If the Oilers acquired Dennis Wideman this summer, he would slide in next to Andrej Sekera on the second pairing. Mark Fayne, who actually did quite well after a stint in the AHL, would come into the season as the top RHD option.
Now, I highly doubt that will be the case and that Wideman would not be the only defender added should Edmonton bring him on board. For the purpose of this exercise, let’s assume he is the lone addition and must play top-four. This is, to me, worst case scenario with Wideman.
Ideally, Wideman handles third-pairing minutes and has a large role on the powerplay. At age 33, Wideman is really slowing down and needs to be given a lesser role, not a larger one.
What Will He Cost?:
The Flames will be dealing from a position of weakness with Wideman, and would likely have to eat salary or take a bad contract back. Could Edmonton move Mark Fayne for Wideman? It would cost more money in 2016-17 but the financial commitment would be over in a year. Lauri Korpikoski is another bad contract that could go the other way.
Considering Wideman’s production and ending last year, I suspect the price would be considerably low. Lauri Korpikoski for Wideman and possibly another asset, say a pick, makes sense to me.
Closing Argument:
The Oilers will be looking to add two defenders this off-season, but that is a very difficult task. In order to accomplish it, Peter Chiarelli is going to have to get creative and may have to take a risk on someone like Wideman. There are worse players to take a risk on than a ten year NHL veteran.
Wideman checks off a lot of boxes; he’s a veteran, a puck-mover, and he’s a right-shot. On a one-year tryout in Edmonton, I’d be willing to give him a chance if it came down to it.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
