Edmonton Oilers Now Have One of Toughest NHL Rosters

The Edmonton Oilers got a major upgrade to their offensive lines Friday when they inked Milan Lucic to a seven-year, $42 million contract. Not only can he bring offensive ability and grit, but he officially makes the Oilers one one of the toughest teams in the NHL.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Oilers, who haven’t been too tough in a long time, now have the potential to be one of the scariest teams in the league. Those are words that were unimaginable before General Manager Peter Chiarelli stepped in.

“You were never scared or intimidated heading into a game against the Oilers. I think that’s something we all have to change.” – Milan Lucic

Milan Lucic

Lucic brings the ability to throw his weight around, but also doesn’t shy away from dropping the gloves. We all remember his fight with Darnell Nurse in December 2015, and how brave Nurse was for going up against one of the league’s toughest customers.

The former Bruin averages over 10 hits per 60 minutes, and he also delivered over 200 hits season for the past three straight seasons. This year, Lucic dropped the gloves three times.  Not to mention, he is the one who told Dale Weise in a handshake, “I will ****ing kill you,” and is one of the most intimidating guys out there. Lucic, a 6-foot-3, 233 pound winger, can pummel his opponents and make things difficult for the opposing team.

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Patrick Maroon

Maroon also dropped the gloves with Lucic this past season, and he is not afraid to drop the gloves, deliver a hit or intimidate other players. The 6-foot-3, 230 pound winger proved to deliver offense after being traded to Edmonton from Anaheim, scoring 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 16 games with the Oilers.

Also averaging 10.2 hits per 60, and .88 points per game with the Oilers, Maroon is definitely not your typical enforcer. He can crash the net and provide offense, while also standing up for his teammates and laying down the law. He had eight fights this past season, leading all of his teammates.

When it comes to Maroon’s defensive ability, his career Corsi for is over 50, and his relative Corsi with Edmonton was an impressive 5.4. He will prove just fine for the Oilers, and provide backup to Lucic’s toughness.

Zack Kassian

Kassian is just another one of the Oilers tough customers. After a brave recovery from alcoholism, Kassian was traded from Montréal to Edmonton in exchange for Ben Scrivens. Now, he is proving to bring that toughness, as well as that physicality to Yeg.

In his short season with the Oilers, Kassian rebounded greatly, scoring eight points (three goals, five assists) and racking up 114 PIM. He also delivered 95 hits and averaged 12.5 hits per 60 minutes. He also had two fights during his stint with Edmonton.

His hard work and determination, as well as positive attitude in the locker room, earned him a contract extension. With him on the roster, you know that he will stick up for his teammates and prove to push the team in the right direction.

Darnell Nurse

The Nurse is in. He proved to be the Oilers go-to enforcer before any of the new guys were on the roster. What Nurse would do is go up against the league’s tough customers and go the extra mile to protect his teammates and prove to be intimidating. He even beat up Roman Polak, but went a bit overboard and got suspended in the heat of standing up for his teammates.

Nurse scored 10 points (three goals, seven assists) and racked up 60 PIM in 69 games. He averages 6.9 hits per 60 and was instrumental in strengthening the Oilers’ defensive corps.

During the regular season, Nurse picked up four NHL fights and proved to be an intense, intimidating young defenseman.

Matt Hendricks

One of the Oilers’ top tough customers and best leaders, Hendricks proved to be of use in Edmonton. His leadership ability and bottom-six grind is what makes him one of the best team players, but he also has that grit and physicality that we love to see.

He had eight fights this past season with Edmonton, as well as 175 hits and 11.7 hits per 60 on average. Not only is he a leader, but a tough customer for Edmonton, as well as an asset. He had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 68 games with the Oilers.

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With all of these players, the Oilers went from an easy team to play against to one of the NHL’s toughest customers, in just one season.