Oilers Defence: Predicting the Pairings
By Noel May
The defenceman of the Edmonton Oilers have been the lagging portion of the rebuilding efforts since the departure of Chris Pronger. The patience of the fan-base after years of 1st overall picks has been wearing thin after yet another season without meaningful springtime hockey. The problem is that our growing pack of powerful forwards is dragging behind the anvil that is the Oilers defensive game.
The Oilers have always been an offense first team but when you don’t have an NHL capable defence to support in the new age NHL you will lose…a lot. Now they are finally in a position to have their defensive game match the prowess of their offensive game. Stu Macgregor and Craig Mactavish have been able to assemble a legion of intriguing defensive prospects to the point where tough decisions need to be made before the new season kicks off on October 9th.
The defenceman still in camp are;
Andrew Ference: Ference didn’t have a great season for the Oil last year but he is a steady NHL defenceman that is playing out his last good years here in the Oil City. I also want to take this chance to congratulate Ference on his King Clancy win, he has become an exceptional role model in the Edmonton community.
Dillion Simpson: I see Dillion Simpson as a trade piece. By all accounts he is set to become a decent bottom-3 defenceman in the future. I do not see where he has room to move up in the Oilers organization given the defensive talent we have. We will wait and see what kind of season he has in Oklahoma.
Marc Fayne: I cannot believe it. A quality NHL defenceman and from all reports I have heard from his only preseason game he looked the part. Oilers should be excited to have this capable defence-first minded defenceman on their back end.
Brad Hunt: Jonathan Willis from Oilersnation wrote an excellent piece on Brad Hunt earlier this week.
David Musil: Musil is slow and I feel he will be pushed out of this system by the other talent or become a AHL fixture. I just don’t see the drive in this guy that I see in Marincin, Klefbom or Nurse.
Justin Schultz: Other than Ryan Nugent-Hopkins , Schultz has been the most impressive player for the Oilers early in this preseason. With Assistant Coach Craig Ramsey stressing offensive play from the defensive core, we can hope Schultz will produce at a similar pace to his first two campaigns.
Keith Aulie: From what I have seen of Keith Aulie this preseason the only recommend I have is that he should have played Basketball. At 6’6” Aulie is a big body and the Oilers brass hoped he could become the Oilers 7th defenceman. After the small sample size in this preseason I hope his is sent to OKC or waived. Aulie plays a far too chaotic game and if the rookie Ehlers from the Jets can bowl him over then there is no point paying for his height.
Darnell Nurse: Nurse has looked like a strong 19-year old defenseman to me. He has made some quality plays and has shown improvement since last years camp. He will get a long look but he will benefit from another year of seasoning and hopefully a Canadian World Junior campaign.
Oscar Klefbom: Klefbom has impressed this preseason and mostly because I haven’t noticed him out there even though he played a full game paired with Keith Aulie.
Martin Gernat: While Gernat is not developing as quickly as his countryman Marincin, I see potential here. If he puts on some more weight and gains some more strength we could see Gernat move up a few spots in the logjam that is the Oilers defensive prospect pool. He has speed and offensive upside.
Jordan Oesterle: Right now I see Oesterle as a back-up plan for Nurse, Klefbom and Marincin. He has had a strong camp and is on an entry-level deal with the Oilers. I imagine he gets top-4 minutes in OKC and will have plenty of chances to move himself up the depth chart.
Jeff Petry: Let me start off by saying that I wish the Oilers had signed Jeff Petry for longer than one year. I think he could have flourished as a second paring defenceman on this team. The writing seems to be on wall for him in Orange & Blue because he will become a UFA at the end of the season. I just hope the Oilers can move him before the season if that’s what they are going to do because his value will be almost nothing at the deadline.
Nikita Nikitin: The pairing of Nikitin and Fayne will finally give the Oilers a stable first pairing that can eat minutes against opponents top lines.
Martin Marincin: It is no secret that Martin Marincin is one of my favorite prospects. I love his drive to improve his game, and gaining fifteen pounds in the offseason is proof to me that he wants to earn a spot on this squad. Marincin isn’t a flashy player; however, he plays a responsible game for such a young player. At this point in the preseason it is Marincin’s job to lose
What I predict for Oilers 7 defensive parings
Nikitin-Fayne
Marincin- Schultz
Ference-Petry
Klefbom
The danger is these pairings are that you don’t want Klefbom sitting in the press-box all season when he would get top minutes in OKC. This lone fact could be the saving grace for Keith Aulie.