We are back with the fourth installment of will he STAY OR GO. In the first part of this series we looked at Oiler Centers, you can read that HERE. In the second installment, we discussed the possible movement of Right Wingers. You can check that out HERE. In the last piece, we discussed the possible moves of our Left Wingers. You can catch up on that HERE.
Now on to the final position, and probably the most in need of change, the back end. The biggest position of discussion when it comes to what Ails the Edmonton Oilers. But how do theOilersRig writers feel about the players we already have? Let’s take a look.
#21 Andrew “Oh Captain My Captain” Ference
Boris: STAY
“He needs to improve, otherwise the knives will be out early. Lack of depth is not his fault though. Is a lead by example guy that they do need.”
Dave: STAY
“I don’t care what you all say, he was a good captain and can insulate one of the D prospects on the third pairing.”
Jackie: STAY
“The captain has taken a lot of crap this year. Despite what people think, I do see leadership from him and I do see value in him. You can’t fault the guy for giving the puck away once in a while because that’s a team issue. They all do it. Ference is playing as a first pairing defender. A role he’s not suited to. He MIGHT be a top four guy on the Oilers and he’s playing minutes well above his capacity. Ference is a good stay at home d-man and would fit nicely in the second pairing.”
Alex: STAY
“Was his first year the best? No, but Ference provided toughness, much needed veteran leadership and decent defensive play. he was over his head in terms of match ups and will likely see better results when moved down the depth charts. Yes, his contract is big, he is an established NHL defender.”
Shawn: STAY
“Whether or not he should stay is moot. He has a no trade and no movement clause in his contract for another three years. This aside, he is the only veteran we have on a brutal blue line. He brings quite a few elements missing for so long. He might not do it as consistently as people would want. But he is a perfect veteran compliment to a younger player. My only concern being he seemed to play better when with another defensive minded guy as opposed to an offensive defender. So I want him here for a few years, but would to see him in a shutdown role, as opposed to an offensive with defensive pairing. A bottom four shutdown guy is where Ference should be and hopefully will be if guys are added to the depth chart ahead of him.”
The captain stays, everyone thinks he’s a keeper.
#36 Phil Larsen
Boris: GO
“His skills are hopefully duplicated with the two vets that MacT is going to bring in……..I hope.”
Dave: GO
“OKC.”
Jackie: GO
“I’m not a fan of Larsen. Much like all Oilers d-men…he’s playing minutes well above what he is capable of playing. He’s a liability more often than not on the ice and has a lot to learn. With the defensive prospects in guys like Klefbom and Nurse coming down the line… there’s no room for Larsen.”
Alex: GO
“Larsen is something else. With the puck he is one of the best players to watch on this team. Without it? Oh boy, you run for cover. Larsen, at least right now, is not an NHL defender. He needs to be upgraded on, and fast.”
Shawn: GO
“Larsen has great hands for a defender. For those few seconds you find a state of nirvana. Then when he loses the puck, your emotions do a 360. Soon your blood pressure is through the roof and you can literally feel a brain aneurism forming. He shows flashes of offensive brilliance and follows it with costing his team goals and not even knowing basic NHL positioning. Towards the end of the year he was tried at wing. I would be okay with him at that position for the first few games of preseason. But if that doesn’t work, get him the Hell out of Edmonton.”
Five GO votes go to this Swiss kid. Hope the door hits you where the good lord split you, on the way out of town.
Edit – It looks like we were all right with this one as Larsen, Like Grebeshkov has bolted for the KHL. He’s going to do well there, his size and skill set are more adaptable to the bigger ice over seas.
#85 Martin Marincin
Boris: STAY
“Great first season. Unless he’s part of a package for a true number one, you hold on tight and see if he can continue the Phoenix like trajectory.”
Dave: STAY
“Play him in the minors. I HEART Marincin.”
Jackie: GO
“Dave’s man-crush…and I kind of have to agree. KIND OF. Marincin is a big solid guy that shows a lot of promise. What i saw from him this past season, i liked. The only question…if he’s showing a lot of potential…much like many young Oilers defenders…is there room for him? the Oil can’t keep them all perhaps he might be good trade bait. Sorry Dave…I would add him to a package and send him on his way if he’s part of a decent trade with a good piece coming back.”
Alex: STAY
“Marincin was the Boyd Gordon of the defense, a perfect fit in a time of need. He brought good puck moving and solid defense to a blue line in shambles. He’ll go through some peaks and valleys before establishing himself, but he’s earned an NHL job at this point.”
Shawn: GO
“Marincin played a solid game in his sample size. He has the potential to be a decent offensive producer. And could continue to improve his solid game. problem is, all that is based on potential. We have enough potential and not nearly enough actually NHL talent. While his stock is high, he should be dangled to try and find an established NHL top four defender. He could get better. But he could also have hit his roof already, you never know with defenders.”
So a close one. Marincin squeaks by with three STAY votes and only two GO votes.
#81 Taylor Fedun
Boris: STAY
“Would be nice to see him as a call up option, but is his skating good enough? If he’s dealt in a package, it’s not the end of the world though.”
Dave: STAY
“So much to love about Fedun, his perseverance and drive make me expect to see this guy challenge for a spot every day. But he’ll most likely end up in OKC again. That Barron’s team is going to be deep at the draft.”
Jackie: GO
“I really want to see Fedun get a shot at the NHL. After breaking his femur in that awful crash into the boards…he’s come back stronger and better. That could have been a career ending injury for him but worked his butt off, and he’s here. The desire for him is there and the passion about the game. All qualities you love in a hockey player. The hesitation for me is why haven’t the Oilers given him a shot? There have been plenty of chances to bring him up. but other guys are getting the call. There must be something that he’s missing. Granted I haven’t watched much of the OKC games, so I can’t say whether or not he’s killing it down there. As this point though, if he continues to get overlooked, it might be time to look at cutting him.”
Alex: GO
“I like Taylor Fedun a lot and think he will be an NHL player. I’d also give him the seven job next year but I suspect the Oilers won’t be handing him a roster spot. Fedun not getting a late season recall said a lot and I’ll be stunned if he re-signs in Edmonton.”
Shawn: GO
“I love Fedun. He is a good bottom pairing defender. He plays a very smart game. But he hasn’t got a shot in Edmonton. He went through a lot and worked as hard as anyone to get back to speed. Yet he didn’t get a late season call up. He would be better suited to a teams bottom pairing where he can be protected. He’s not going to get that here. he deserves a shot at a number six or seven spot on a team with defensive depth. So I would imagine he won’t resign and his rights could be traded.”
So young Taylor Fedun gets three votes to GO and two votes to STAY.
#84 Oscar Klefbom
Boris: STAY
“Great showing late in the season. Should be a solid second pair option for years. If he’s part of a package for a better defender, you have to look at that.”
Dave: STAY
“Stay, he’s the guy you put on the third pairing with Ference. Really like the Swede, he’s still rough around the edges but appears to be a quick learner. he’ll do just fine with a veteran at his side.”
Jackie: STAY
“Klefbom is good. he’s young, he’s inexperienced. he doesn’t have a lot of NHL experience and he’s still good. There’s a lot of potential in this young guy…and we haven’t seen enough of him to know whether or not he can be a solid fit on the Oilers blue line.”
Alex: STAY
“Let me say this first, Klefbom is the defender I would dangle in trade talks. it seems like, however, that the Oilers will be dangling Martin Marincin in that spot. Klefbom has a lot of talent and looked good late, but could use a little more AHL time in my mind.”
Shawn: STAY
“Before he was drafted, I wanted klefbom as an Edmonton Oiler. Leading up to the draft I said how much i hoped klefbom fell, so the oilers could snap him. Then when they drafted him I was every so excited. I still am. He’s a big boy, and plays a sound defensive game. For a rookie coming into a crap situation in Edmonton, he looked good. Minus the very few mishaps. He’s going to be a solid shutdown top four guy for a decade or two. He stays and if anything, makes Marincin trade bait.”
Wow, a unanimous decision for a rookie who only played a few games.
#19 Justin Schultz
Boris: STAY
“He has offensive flair but needs to learn how to play his position in his own end. If he’s part of a package for a better defender, you have to look at it.”
Dave: STAY
“Still growing into an NHL player. But there is too much pointing up to let this guy go.”
Jackie: STAY
This is a no brainer for me. Schultz is also young…and playing a TON of minutes. But the thing I LOVE about him is his willingness and capability to jump up offensively. He’s also a relatively solid defenseman that needs some leadership and molding, but the potential is there for him to be successful. Let’s not forget the fact that he chose to be in Edmonton. How many d-men actually CHOOSE to be in Edmonton?”
Alex: STAY
“I came close to saying let’s move on from Schultz, but the Oilers really like the kid and he will be back. He’s a great offensive player, but needs a lot of defensive work. Third pairing duty suites him best and I pray the Oilers don’t overpay on this contract.”
Shawn: STAY
“Offensive defenders who put up numbers are hard to come by. Especially right handed guys. Look at a few of them like Mike Green, Niskanen or Shattenkirk. They get paid top dollar to put up points. Schultz is pretty damn close to being in this group. It helps that his defensive game seemed to improve as the year went on. Many teams wanted him when he was a free agent and the same teams would still want him now, even more so. He is the ideal second pairing guy who has the potential to be a top three guy for many years. He just has to keep improving on his game. people just have to remember he was playing the most minutes of any defender, which should be cut back if the Oilers can get a few veterans to play ahead of him.”
Another five vote for a player to STAY. Schultz has shown growth and has endless potential.
#2 Jeff Petry
Boris: STAY
“The Oilers best all around defender. Only a dolt deals him now.”
Dave: STAY
“He’s still developing better than most defensive prospects. If he ends up going to another team, Oiler management and fans are going to regret it.”
Jackie: STAY
“The whipping boy. Petry took a LOT of crap from fans and I will beat this dead horse all day long but again…without a legit top pairing guy, he’s playing minutes that he is not capable of playing! Petry is a bottom four defenseman on any other team but he’s not as horrible as everyone makes him out to be. Petry is a decent d-man that can play big minutes if he has to. If the Oilers can bring in two top four blue liners and play Petry on the third pairing where he should be…he’ll be much better.”
Alex: STAY
“I’m a huge Petry guy. He’s not great at one thing, but is good at a lot of things. He’s by far the best defender that Edmonton has and is a top four guy on any NHL roster. The Oilers could use three more Jeff Petrys!”
Shawn: GO
“I’m going to be a minority on this one, but hear me out. Petry is big, he can hit hard, makes a great first pass, has a bullet of a shot, skates like the wind and can play in all situations. My problem with Petry is, he cannot do any single one of those consistently. He just doesn’t seem to have the will, or passion to get it all together. This is a bottom five hockey team that needs to improve. We have too much inconsistency and need to improve. A top pairing right shot defender should be consistently be good in at least a few aspects of the game. Petry is not. he is the king of the pass up the middle. All defenders on this team had give always. But Petry is only one you can count on throwing a soft pass up the middle at least once in two games. And it didn’t get better as the year went on. A bottom feeder team has to improve somehow. If you keep the same players and hope improve, you’ll never move up. Especially when that player should be entering the strongest years of their career. But Petry has played the same game the last three years and shown no signs of getting it all together. He was our best all around defender this last season. That is a testament to how bad the Oilers really are. Petry is a bottom three defender on most NHL teams. He has to be upgraded on. Throw him in a package a bring in a TRUE top three defender.”
All but one feel as though Petry should STAY.
This brings us to the end of theOilersRig writers portion of this series. We have gone through the entire team that is signed into next season. Who we feel will be here next season. And who we feel will be gone for the season opener next season.
Thank you so much for reading. Keep in mind that the next piece will be the poll, where YOU get to have your opinion seen by the writers on this site. Don’t forget to follow us all on twitter and have a great night!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
