Edmonton Oilers: Comeback Candidates

There is no question that, in addition to last year’s edition of the Edmonton Oilers being flawed from a roster standpoint, a number of players quite simply did not play up to to their potential. There were a number of reasons for that, some easily explained, others…not so much. Here are my Top 5 candidates for Comeback Candidate of the Year for the Edmonton Oilers in 2015-16:

5. Mark Fayne. Mark Fayne has enjoyed a substantial 5-year NHL career already, at age 28, pretty darn good for a 5th Round draft choice. He is an effective, “3-4” pairing D-man, capable of shouldering difficult zone starts. Nothing, but nothing, about his career in New Jersey foreshadowed how last year went for him in Edmonton. To my eye, Fayne has the smarts, strength and foot-speed necessary, and did not just forget how to play his position as he slid to an unflattering -21 +/-. I did not agree with how Dallas Eakins NOR Todd Nelson deployed him, and he also suffered from weak or under-performing partners. In short, Mark Fayne is a very good complimentary player. That is not how he was used. But with the blue-line now substantially re-built, I forecast a nice bounce-back year for the veteran in that very role.

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4. Ben Scrivens. Remember how well Ben Scrivens played in the back-half of 2013-14, after being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings? His .916 save percentage in front of a D-core actually inferior to last year’s edition was reasonable cause for the contract extension he was signed to. His numbers, in a back-up role and with a better team, were also a lot better in LA, and in Toronto the year previous. I look at it this way: Either a bad D-core can make you look really good (because of the ridiculous number of chances surrendered), or really bad (see Scrivens’ .890 save percentage last season). When there is chaos in front of you and behind you, goalies tend to guess, cheat, and generally overcompensate more than they usually would. I think this was Scrivens, last year, and I expect his performance to return to a career normal, albeit likely in a lesser role.

3. Nikita Nikitin. This won’t be popular, but here goes. I attended a LOT of Edmonton Oilers training camp last Fall. And when I first set eyes upon Nikitin, I was really excited. He was paired early with Mark Fayne, and to my eye, here (finally) was a “real” NHL D-man pairing. He moved the puck well, had a big shot, was physical against the cycle in his own end. I didn’t see him hoisting the Norris, but I felt pretty confident the puck would actually start to move North out of our zone, after years of it not doing so. Then…he got hurt in TC. And then…we heard “Oh, he has a history of playing hurt”. Uh-huh. What he didn’t have was a history of doing it well. And unless you are a top-pairing D-Man (and Nikki wasn’t even that in Columbus in his best season), most don’t.

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2. Justin Schultz. I’ve talked about Justin Schultz, RE: a very similar subject to this, in the past. My story has not changed. This kid has a range of skills that are all but impossible to teach. He has the raw materials to be the Edmonton Oilers version of Keith Yandle, which would be much welcome on a team of race horses like the Oilers have up on forward. And Justin Schultz didn’t just do WELL in his one and only season in the AHL. He absolutely dominated, like few others have. 18 goals and 48 points in 34 games? Mercy! Related to his defensive challenges was how much ice-time he logged, per game. Weak teams chase, and when you chase, you have to ride your fast horses. With improved deployment on the blue-line, the scene is set for a Justin Schultz comeback.

1. Taylor Hall. There are a lot of factors that play into my decision to put Taylor Hall at the top of this particular list. First, and foremost, his health. Even before I mention the name “McDavid”, Taylor Hall will return to a reasonable facsimile of his former self (75-27-53-80 in 2013-14) this season if he’s in decent health. Then, imagine him on a line (probably) with Connor McDavid and Jordan Eberle for 75 games? And with a much more capable and mobile blue line playing behind him and moving the puck up? The kid is a stud, one of the best wingers in the game, he showed that at World Championships. Of all the 5 players on this list, I am most supremely confident of this prediction. Book him a flight to the All Star Game, now. Taylor Hall will be needing it.

Is it September yet?