Wednesday afternoon wasn’t overly kind to Oiler fans. Late in the afternoon, James Mirtle broke the news that James Wisniewski, arguably the best of the remaining realistic options on defense, agreed to a PTO with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Wisniewski, a veteran puck mover who shoots right, seemed like an ideal fit for the Oilers on their third pairing. Alas, it was not meant to be and Peter Chiarelli’s quest for a powerplay quarterback continues.
Don’t be mistaken, folks, this search is absolutely continuing. The position in question is far too important to be left unattended by Chiarelli heading into the 2016-17 season.
Dennis Wideman:
One of the more interesting careers that I have watched unfold has been that of Dennis Wideman. The puck moving defender was a solid contributor for the St. Louis Blues who was traded to Boston for sniper Brad Boyes. In Boston, Wideman was a huge part of a Bruins defense that took the club from bottom feeder to contender in four short seasons.
Wideman struggled, badly, in his final season in Boston and was flipped for Nathan Horton at the 2010 entry draft. After solid (some even great) seasons in Florida, Washington and Calgary, Wideman finds himself in a familiar spot. Just like at the end of his Boston tenure, he struggled badly last season in Calgary. Flame fans and bloggers are willing to trade him for anything, but could it be that he is actually still a valuable player?
I touched on Wideman as part of off-season targets here, but his name reappeared in my timeline after Wisniewski elected to go to Tampa Bay.
Dennis Wideman’s CF% last year when he wasn’t with Engelland or Russell was 50.4%.I’m not saying,I’m just saying… https://t.co/DAxoh5DXMq
— Woodguy (@Woodguy55) August 11, 2016
A lot has been made about Wideman being a possession disaster and a liability in recent months. That said, looking at the data presented to us in the link Woodguy tweets, Wideman was actually pretty good when he was with respectable partners.
Let’s be honest here, folks, Deryk Engelland is a fringe NHL’er and Kris Russell is a possession nightmare who clearly isn’t as valued as some thought he was around the league. Both of these players are bottom pairing defenders who are possession anchors. Take Wideman away from them and he actually shows decently in this area.
Possession wise, 50.4% is an extremely respectable number that not many Oiler defenders reached last year. When we remove these two players from the picture, Wideman’s season gets quite prettier to my eye.
Can He Fill The Hole?:
There is no doubt that Wideman had a down year offensively last season. In 51 games, the defender only registered 2-17-19 for the Flames. 19 points is nothing to write home about, but it is worth noting that he would have had the second most points on Edmonton’s blue-line by seven points (Klefbom, 12) last season.
Prior to this season, however, Wideman had been a strong offensive contributor. In 2014-15, he registered 15-41-56 in 80 tilts for the Flames. 2013-14 saw 4-17-21 in 46 games, while 2012-13 saw Wideman post 6-16-22 in 46 games. He’s not an elite offensive producer, but prior to last season he was a very strong one for Calgary.
It’s also worth noting that Wideman has seen a lot of powerplay time in Calgary over the years, and he saw time in both Washington and Florida before that. He’s not going to run a powerplay like Kris Letang, but he can man the point and have some success.
It’s not crazy to think that Wideman, who has a decent shot, could have a lot of success playing with Connor McDavid on the top PP unit. That would give Edmonton, for the first time in years, a shot from the point that teams have to respect.
Final Thoughts:
Dennis Wideman is not a sexy name anymore. His poor 2015-16 season and run in with an official have people afraid to even bring his name up. If we assume that Wideman simply had a down year last year, then he might be an option worth considering for Edmonton.
As a pending UFA with little trade value, the Oilers could acquire this player on the cheap. It’s also very possible, if not likely, that Calgary would be willing to eat some of the money remaining on this contract. If that were to happen, the Oilers could be getting a player that could present some exceptional value.
Dennis Wideman has a history of being a steady puck moving defender who can man the point on the powerplay. Currently, the Edmonton Oilers do not have a defender who can fill that role. Acquiring the right-shot defender likely won’t be met with much fanfare, but it could be an addition that pays dividends for the Oilers in 2016-17.
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