Edmonton Oilers Free Agent Tracker: D Korbinian Holzer

The Edmonton Oilers main priority in free agency this off-season is going to focus on upgrading the defense, as Peter Chiarelli said in his press conference. There are plenty of interesting options out there, and as often as we can, we are writing about available free agent defensemen and seeing how they could help the team, as well as looking deep into some of their stats and seeing their likeliness of coming to Edmonton.

So without further ado, let’s start with today’s option. He’s a quieter guy available in the UFA market, and his name is Korbinian Holzer.

Value

Holzer is a big defenseman, towering at 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 215 pounds. He’s 28 years old and can play a rough-and-tumble game. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Finally in 2010, he got the chance to suit up with the Leafs at the age of 22. He played in two games, making somewhat of an impact and proving to be a strong, stable defenseman.

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He spent most of his time in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, where he posted 44 points, a plus-31 and 202 PIM through 189 games. He was a plus-31 and played decent games in the American Hockey League. When called up, he seized his opportunity. While playing with Toronto, he had nine points through 58 games with the team, and posted a minus-10 with the defensively-struggling team. He did put up decent numbers when it came to physicality and protecting the net, and finished with 179 hits and 110 shot blocks.

When he was traded to Anaheim in March, he put up much better numbers with the Ducks the following year. He finished with three points in 29 games, and a minus-3. Despite that, he had a 50.6 Corsi, and he also had 57 hits and 32 shot blocks to end the season.

If you’re not impressed by that, you need to keep in mind his size, and look at this clip showcasing his ability. The Munich, Germany native knows how to throw his weight around, and even handed it to David Krejci with this HUGE hip check.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Value

I think that Holzer is someone who could bring a lot to the Edmonton roster. If you look at our current defense, it is an incredibly young group. If you look at the way he hits and the way he can backcheck and block shots, you get a defender who is definitely more of a stay-at-home guy.

Not to mention, with Holzer, it would add age, as well as that developmental experience. He’s a great guy who could probably be signed to a cheap, two-way deal. If he doesn’t make it through training camp, the big guy can further develop down in Bakersfield.

“Has good size and plenty of physicality in his game. Also displays pretty good puck-moving skills and usually keeps his game simple.” -NHL Scouting Report

Holzer’s scouting report pointed out how he’s a bigger player who brings aggression and physicality to the lineup. He is good at moving the puck and doesn’t try to go outside the box, and plays it safe. He’s a pretty intelligent guy and also a “physical depth defenseman.”

I think when you have someone like Holzer, you get someone who can perform as a quality bottom-tier defenseman and still play games and develop in the AHL if he needs the time.

The defense needs to get bigger and have someone lead the younger guys, and I think having someone who has played in the AHL for a long period of time an definitely play the game with a mentality that will help the team. In addition, with a number-one defender coming to Edmonton, he could learn a lot and play a big role for a small price.

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Likeliness of Coming to Edmonton

I think that Chiarelli may look at this option. Clearly, he is primarily relying on trade route and called it more “effective,” but he will certainly look at every single free agent. He is a young right-handed defender who has the potential to develop and flourish.

Likeliness: 4 out of 10.

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