Edmonton Oilers Players in Review: Matt Hendricks
Happy Saturday Edmonton Oilers fans! Today the astute writer Sammi Silber talked about Nail Yakupov. At this time I will give you a detailed Players in Review on the toughest player the Oilers have, Matt Hendricks.
Potential
Hendricks is a seasoned veteran of the NHL. His road to the show is unique, unorthodox and rather inspiring. After enduring many years of playing in the AHL he finally became an NHL regular in 2009/2010 for the Colorado Avalanche at the age of 28.
At 34 years old, Hendricks has already reached the peak of his ability as a bottom-six grinder. He is now exiting the prime of his career and transitioning into a slower, worn down phase. It is obvious that he will start to regress as wear and tear catches up to him.
However, not all should be looked upon as negative as he is still more than capable of being a useful piece for the Oilers moving forward. There is a lot of fight and compete left in Hendricks.
It can be expected for Hendricks to start slowing down at this stage in his career because he plays a hard nosed, tough brand of hockey. He will crash and bang all over the ice and take the puck to the net. Hendricks is very responsible defensively and will not hesitate to block a shot. He will always try to get his team pumped up with either a ferocious hit or a heroic fight.
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Hendricks has shown that he can be a great leader on and off the ice. He is vocal in the dressing room and rambunctious on the bench. The leadership qualities he possesses are extremely valuable and beneficial to the plentiful youth on the Oilers roster.
I would categorize Hendricks as an above average fourth line grinder. He is skilled and effective enough in all areas of the ice to be bumped up to the thirs line when necessary, which makes him versatile and useful.
Even though he is no longer trending upward in his career, Hendricks can still provide leadership, toughness and reliability in all aspects of the game for the Edmonton Oilers.
Performance
The Oilers acquired Hendricks in 2014 when they shipped Devan Dubnyk to the Nashville Predators. Since Hendricks’ arrival to Edmonton, he has integrated himself within the organization quite nicely.
In 2013/2014 he played 77 games, scored 5 goals and added 2 assists along with racking up 112 penalty minutes. He engaged in fisticuffs many times and delivered some thundering hits.
I like how he ended up with a letter on his sweater. He deserves to be recognized as a leader.
Last season (2014/2015) we saw injuries and age slow Hendricks down a little bit. In 71 games he scored eight goals and added eight assists along with 76 penalty minutes. He still played with a hard edge and tried to spark his team during some of the most miserable times. There was nothing more that could have been asked of him. I believe Hendricks did his job.
Overall, Hendricks has performed well since coming to Edmonton. He has a specific role to play and he performs his duties without question. There is no doubt in my mind that Matt Hendricks is a good soldier, which should come as no surprise since he was brought up in a military family.
Projections
Todd Mclellan has use for players like Hendricks. I think the only concern moving forward is age. With the style of hockey Hendricks plays, we will definitely be seeing more regression and slowness in his game. Mclellan might have to refrain from overplaying Hendricks. Don’t get me wrong, he is tough but having him in a more sheltered role might be best and could help avoid injury. I am talking about giving him regular 4th line minutes and occasionally putting him on one of the penalty killing units. There is no need to overload him. Maintaining Hendricks’ durability is important.
That being said, Hendricks remains an important player for the Oilers. I recognize him as one of the key leaders on the team. He can show the younger players how to compete night in and night out. The toughness he has will help shield the Oilers top players and make life harder for the opposition they play against. I have faith that workhorse Matt Hendricks will keep on delivering the goods.