On Tuesday afternoon, I was doing my normal sweep of the Oilers’ blogging community, checking in on the usual stops. As always, my first visit was to Lowetide’s website, where I encountered an interesting tidbit of information. In this piece resides a part regarding a 28 year old Swedish defender, Patrik Hersley.
Hersley is reportedly interested in coming to the NHL next season, and according to a report from SportBladet in Sweden, the Oilers are showing some big time interest in the player.
Hersley is a decently sized player, clocking in at 6’3” and 203 pounds, and has some experience at the pro level, both in Europe and in North America. He’s been in the KHL these last few seasons, and has also played in the SHL. On top of that, the former Kings draft pick played in the AHL while in their system.
According to a scouting report given by Hockey’s Future, Hersley has some really good offensive instincts to his game, including a bomb of a shot. The report calls his shot not only hard, but also accurate, and describes him as having soft hands. He seems to be a decent passer as well from all the reports I have read on him.
He’s a guy that is willing to jump into the action offensively and join the rush, but he isn’t just all offense. The scouting reports call him a smart player, and solid within his own zone of the ice. His mobility seems to be good, and the report also mentions that he reads the game really well.
Eliteprospects.com’s report pretty much backs all of that up.
To me, Hersley seems like a two-way defender. Everything I’ve gathered on him from some reading suggests that he is a defender with some offensive skills and a bomb of a shot that can hold his own defensively and be a physical presence. Speed isn’t his strong suit, but he’s smart. At age 28, with that scouting report and his size, he might be worth the risk.
Another positive? He’s a right-shooting defender, something Edmonton lacks in their prospect pool right now, and quite frankly at the NHL level too.
Hersley is one of the best defenders in the KHL, and certainly seems ready to make the jump to the NHL. That being said, I don’t think it is fair to pencil him in as a top-four defender at this level when he has yet to play a game in the NHL.
If Edmonton is able to lure Hersley to sign, then all the power to them. This could be a smart move under the radar that pans out for the Oilers, but it should not be THE move for the defense moving forward. Edmonton’s defense is a total mess, and the Oilers should be looking at proven NHL options this off-season to fill those holes.
Whether that is signing a guy like Johnny Boychuk or Marc Methot, or trading for a guy like Dion Phaneuf, something bigger must be done. That said, don’t shy away from this guy, because he could be helpful.
If Hersley signs this spring, he looks like a good bet to be a third-pairing defender who plays a lot on the power-play to start. While he’d fill a hole, he wouldn’t fill THE hole. If Edmonton can get it done though, I’d pull the trigger. He seems like a decent bet.
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