Edmonton Oilers: Adam Larsson Proving Team Won Trade

The Edmonton Oilers made one of the riskiest moves in the NHL last season when they shipped out Taylor Hall, their leading point scorer. In return, they got defenceman Adam Larsson, a former first-round pick who dipped under the radar during his time in New Jersey.

While fans were less than impressed with the fact that the team traded their all-star winger, they were also hesitant. Larsson didn’t seem to have the best analytics, and he wasn’t necessarily a big name on the market.

However, as his first season with the team starts to wind down, Larsson is proving through his ability that the Oilers definitely won the Taylor Hall trade.

Edmonton Oilers

Beyond His Numbers

Before coming to Edmonton, Larsson was coming off of one of his worst defensive campaigns. He had just a 43.5 percent Corsi, and a -3.7 relative Fenwick. Not to mention, he struggled throughout the season and didn’t appear as the top defender in New Jersey. His entire career with the Devils was somewhat lacklustre considering his Corsi was below a 50 percent and he didn’t appear to be the best at avoiding turnovers.

Now, he has sharply improved in his time with the Oilers, pushing his advanced stats up and putting up a plus-17 this season. Looking at him as a defender, Larsson is an excellent all-around choice. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound blueliner knows how to look after the puck, and is smart when it comes to following the play. He also boasts outstanding physicality and shot-blocking ability and knows how to stay sharp in his own zone

Finding His Game

The Swedish blueliner has also started to fall into the role as the team’s top right-handed defenceman. He and Oscar Klefbom have formed not only a close friendship but an excellent duo on the backend. Both of them bounce off each other and know how to communicate and make the right moves with the puck.

Larsson has seemed to develop better alongside Klefbom and has also learned how to step up and join the rush. He has picked up four goals and 17 points this season, and of late, he has been getting more involved offensively.

In addition, Larsson eats up plenty of minutes and has always been prepared to take on the workload of a top-pairing blueliner.

Without Hall

Edmonton has not suffered many setbacks without Hall. The team seems to have a more optimistic outlook, and they have now relied more on the services of Connor McDavid, who in himself has taken on the scoring workload. Leon Draisaitl has also adjusted to playing on the wing and adds scoring and the performance that Hall usually did.

While it is hard to say, this team seems to be better off, and definitely won the deal. They have a stable right-handed defenseman who can eat big minutes and have a better culture. No, Hall was not the issue, though this team did need a shake-up to put them in a new sync. And unfortunately, this was the deal that had to be done.

Larsson is proving night in and night out that the Devils did not win the trade. Not only that, but they didn’t steal Hall and leave Edmonton with a poor return. Instead, it appears the Oilers have taken more away from this deal.