Edmonton Oilers: 3 free agent defensemen they should sign
The injury to Andrej Sekera leaves the Edmonton Oilers blueline a bit shallow. How will they replace him? Here are three free agent options.
The Edmonton Oilers needed a lot of things to go right for them in the 2018-19 season in order to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. One of those things involved defenseman Andrej Sekera making a full recovery from his torn ACL that he suffered in 2017.
Recently, the Oilers got some awful news. It turns out Sekera is out indefinitely after suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon while working out overseas. This puts the Oilers behind the eight ball. Last season, Edmonton thought things would be alright without Sekera. But things were anything but “alright” without him.
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If general manager Peter Chiarelli has learned from his mistakes last season, he’s going to get another defenseman. Ethan Bear probably isn’t ready yet and it would be unwise to rush 2018 first-round pick Evan Bouchard to the NHL just so he can play sheltered minutes.
The Oilers have a lot on the line this season. The jobs of both Chiarelli and head coach Todd McLellan could be in jeopardy if they miss the playoffs again. So expect them to address the loss of Sekera in some way.
Though it’s a bit late in free agency, there are still some decent options available. Let’s take a look at three of them.
Brandon Davidson
Brandon Davidson is someone who the Oilers are familiar with. He’s not the most mobile defenseman but he’s an NHL-caliber option. If the Oilers don’t believe Bear and Bouchard are ready to contribute, Davidson could serve as a decent placeholder.
Chiarelli might want someone who he’s familiar with this late in free agency. If that’s the case, Davidson has an advantage over the other candidates. He’s not much of a producer on offense, but he consistently puts up above-average possession numbers. Though Davidson is left-handed and the Oilers would prefer a right-handed option, he has experience playing on his off side.
Cody Franson
Cody Franson is one of the most polarizing players in the NHL. Everyone has an opinion about him. Some believe he’s a good defenseman, others think he’s an awful player. The truth, as it always does, lies somewhere in between. Though it’s likely closer to the former than the latter.
Franson has his flaws, as he’s a pretty slow skater. In today’s NHL, that’s a pretty bad flaw to have. However, despite his lack of grace on skates, Franson puts up decent numbers and tends to tilt the ice in his team’s favor. As an added bonus, he has a history of putting up solid numbers on the power-play, where the Oilers could use some help.
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Jakub Jerabek
Much like Davidson, Jakub Jerabek is a left-handed option. However, Franson is the best right-handed option available, which tells you how shallow that pool is. Jerabek most recently played for the Washington Capitals after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline.
He has gotten limited playing time in the NHL, but when he’s been on the ice, he’s put up respectable results.
The options are limited, for sure. But the Oilers were playing with fire when they assumed everything would go right for them. That’s a pretty dangerous strategy to use in a sport as cruel and unpredictable as hockey.