The Edmonton Oilers and Adam Larsson

Defending continues to be a major flaw of the Edmonton Oilers. Turnovers and bad positioning has become the norm on the blue line and familiar mistakes are costing them games. An upgrade on the back end would be beneficial sometime in the not-too-distant future. Since trade speculation has now kicked off in full force, I believe right now is a good time to share my two sense. I will tell you who I think the Oilers could certainly make use of if the right deal were to come to fruition.

Who is Adam Larsson?

Adam Larsson of the New Jersey Devils is a young, quality rearguard with a tremendous amount of potential. He went 4th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft. Standing 6″3 and weighing 205 lbs, Larsson possesses the terrific size necessary to make an impact on the ice. Not to mention he is a right handed shot, which is a highly coveted asset many NHL teams look at. He has excellent mobility for a big bodied player and can play a solid two-way game. One element in Larsson’s game that stands out is his booming shot from the point and his ability to move the puck on the power play. He has a lot of skill and can make that first pass required to start an offensive rush. Larsson is also responsible defensively. He is good at positioning himself in his own zone and can play physical.

The 23 year old has shown he can handle big minutes and tough assignments as well. He formed an effective top pairing with underrated Devils defender Andy Greene last season. On a nightly basis they were matched up with the oppositions top players and did a terrific job maintaining the blue line for the Devils. They were very consistent with their play.

In 210 NHL games Larsson has 54 points. 2014/2015 was a bit of a breakout campaign for Larsson as he tallied 3 goals and 21 assists in 64 games and was a +2. He also averaged just over 20 minutes of ice-time per game. Those are very encouraging numbers. So far in 2015/2016, Larsson has 3 points in 18 games and is a +5. He is averaging 22:46 of ice time. It is clear the Devils recognize Larsson as one of their top defenders and they lean on him to get the job done. During his draft year there was speculation that he could go 1st overall, however he ended up falling to 4th on draft day. In the eyes of scouts, he was destined to become a number 1 defensemen in the NHL, now he is finally being utilized like one and is responding well to his increased responsibility.

Why should the Oilers be interested?

The Oilers are still very weak on defense. One can argue that adding another young, developing defender to the blue line arsenal will not improve the team right now. Having said that I think Larsson is at a point in his development where he is ready for the responsibility. He is not quite there yet in terms of being a legitimate top pairing defensemen, but he is certainly trending in the right direction at a considerable rate. His numbers have been good and he has a decent amount of NHL experience, playing in over 200 games. He is starting to mature. The Oilers could use a right-handed puck mover with more versatility to his game and I think Larsson fits the bill. A move to acquire the Swede will benefit the Oilers for the long term future. If the Oilers were willing to trade for a young, developing defensemen in Dougie Hamilton, Larsson should be a similar, viable option to consider as well.

What will it take to get him?

The price to acquire a young defender like Adam Larsson will not be astronomical, but at the same time he won’t be cheap. He is already locked in on a long term, 6 year deal with the Devils. I think a first round draft pick would be a good starting point on a deal. The Devils could still use more offence as they lack scoring depth. Including a player like Teddy Purcell might suffice. He is known for producing well when playing with good offensive players and I think he could compliment a shooter like Mike Cammalleri on the Devils top line. Since the Oilers blue line is crowded, I would consider packaging one defensemen in the deal. A player like Justin Schultz or Brandon Davidson could intrigue the Devils. Unfortunately, Andrew Ference and Nikita Nikitin would draw zero interest in this trade. If need be, including another draft pick like a second or third rounder could be thrown for the sweetener. Lets take into consideration that Peter Chiarelli is a man of action. He is more than willing to step up and pay the price to pull the trigger on a deal, as evident by the Reinhart trade.

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This is clearly just speculation and the odds of a deal like this materializing are slim to none. I think the Devils are pretty content with Larsson as one of their cornerstones on the back end. But the Oilers need to shake things up soon. The roster is going to be very crowded so a move or two by Chiarelli appears to be imminent. It would be nice to see some changes as the blue line in Edmonton is still sub par. We will have to wait and see how it unfolds in the coming weeks.