Edmonton Oilers Did Not Lose Out on Erik Gudbranson

News broke Wednesday night that the Vancouver Canucks made a rather simple trade for a big name – they traded for Florida Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson. This only leaves Edmonton Oilers fans to look to Peter Chiarelli and ask, “Should the Oilers have traded for him?”

The trade included Gubranson and a 2016 fifth-rounder in exchange for Jared McCann and the Canucks’ 2016 second and fourth round picks, according to the “Miami Herald.”

Well, to answer the question, yes and no. Let’s go over why he would’ve been a great pick up, but is not the biggest loss that the Oilers could have had.

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First off, he definitely brings the size that Edmonton would be looking for. He towers at 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 216 pounds. He would have perfectly fit the Oilers’ need for a big, physical defenseman, which makes this trade sting a bit.

However, he is not what the Oilers exactly need. What the team needs is a big, number-one defenseman who can not only strengthen the backend, but can jumpstart the offense.

For Gudbranson, he is not exactly an offensive defenseman. His highest-scoring season was one where he scored 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 2014-15. He is a minus-49 for his career and has an overall Corsi of 48.7 percent.

Gudbranson’s possession metrics and offensive ability is not something that makes him a number-one defender for the Oilers. His zone starts are nothing to jump at either.

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Overall, Gudbranson is a great defenseman, but he is not a puck mover that could truly benefit the Oilers. The team would have a better chance at getting a true number one defenseman, like Sami Vatanen or even Kevin Shattenkirk. That is what Edmonton needs on the roster.

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