Edmonton Oilers: Mark Fayne’s Return to NHL Roster Difficult
By Sammi Silber
Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mark Fayne physically fits the criteria for what the team needs on the blue line.
The 6-foot-3, 213-pound right-hand shot possesses the perfect frame for the Oilers defence corps. Not only is he a physical, hard-hitting defenceman, but the 30-year-old also has plenty of NHL experience under his belt.
Edmonton Oilers
With Andrej Sekera out for 6-9 months with a leg injury, the Oilers will have to fill his void. They are relying on the pieces they arleady have in Kris Russell, Matthew Benning and company to make up for Sekera’s absence. The Oilers also signed Eric Gryba to a two-year extension, and he’s expected to be the extra right-hand defender to fill in.
Starting the year struggling with ailments, Fayne played in just four games with Edmonton in 2016-17. After recovering in December, Fayne returned to hockey and resumed his year with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate Condors. In 39 games, he scored three goals and 17 points and was a plus-9 with Bakersfield.
With Fayne conditioning and eyeing a return to NHL action, can he compete for a spot iin the NHL this year?
The first issue is Fayne’s cap hit. He costs over $3 million per season, and considering his struggles with injury, Edmonton may not risk paying that much for him at the NHL level. Considering Fayne has played well with the Condors, Edmonton would be wise to keep him at that level and let him further improve.
In addition, Gryba provides the same size, physicality and services as Fayne for half the cost (even more of a pay cut than that). Not to mention, he’s been consistent of late and knows his role. Though Fayne may be seeking a return to the NHL, Gryba has the experience and knows where he has to improve his edge. Therefore, he’s a better fit than him this coming season.
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While Fayne has proven NHL potential and is showing signs of improvement as he looks to return to his full-time NHL job, his recent struggles and the logistics lower his chances of cracking the NHL roster this coming season.