Today, the Oilers re-signed defenseman Theo Peckham to a one year deal, worth a little over a million bucks for the season. A good deal?
Actually, I don't mind it.
Do you remember Matt Greene when he was on the Oilers? By the time he left for LA, people were starting to see the potential brilliance in him. During the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Greene was an absolute beast...mean, tough, and defensively sound. It took time for Greene to turn into the great defenseman he is now, but it was worth the wait.
Peckham is not so much different than Greene was when he first arrived with the Oilers. Big. Mean. Raw. I'm not saying Peckham will turn out as well as Greene did, but he could, and for that reason, he's worth re-signing and keeping for another season.
I don't have much confidence that the Oilers will be able to add one more Top 4 defenseman of quality before the start of the 2012/2013 season. This means the team needs to put faith in three guys who may or may not be great. We know Ladislav Smid, Jeff Petry and Nick Schultz are all solid, dependable NHL defensemen. With veteran Ryan Whitney, the questions have more to do with his health and his ability to bounce back from serious injury. If he can, he absolutely belongs in an NHL Top 4. Justin Schultz, as tremendous of a prospect as he is, is a rookie. Rookie D is rookie D. There will be highs and lows. Peckham is perhaps the third question mark on the defense.
Petry, Whitney and Justin Schultz will not bring a physical edge. Nick Schultz is a little more of a banger, but he isn't huge. Without including Theo Peckham in the group, Ladislav Smid is the only real monster on the Oilers D. The team need to add one.
I suspect the #6 job will be between Andy Sutton and Theo Peckham; two players who both have size and can clobber the opposition. With consistent ice-time, perhaps Peckham's development continues and he becomes the "Matt Greene" of the franchise. If it doesn't work out, a one year deal at a little over a mil isn't going to kill ya.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
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