It was great to see some of you posting your own line combinations and discussing the Oilers of the past decade in the comments section. I know that the lack of real hockey makes discussion all the more difficult but I appreciate those who have been taking the time to drum up responses and encourage others to do the same!
Today we will move on to tackle the defense and goaltending for the Edmonton Oilers of the past decade, a trickier challenge due to the Oilers long history of playing defenders higher than they belong. Through the 2019/2020 season we saw a number of players step into their roles comfortably but that wasn't the case through the early 2010's.
Let's jump right in.
FIRST PAIRING
Oscar Klefbom(16/17) - Adam Larsson(16/17)
The best top pairing D the Oilers have iced in the past decade has to be the 2016/2017 pairing and it's impossible for me to include one and not the other. Together this pairing logged massive minutes for the Oilers, both positive positive possession and scoring chances. Larsson was a defensive juggernaut who posted a 56.35GF% at 5 on 5 while Klefbom was right behind with a 52.85%. The two were such perfect compliments to each other, with Klefbom being a brilliant puck mover and passer and a true #1 when it came to the powerplay, while Larsson was a mean, physical force who made life hell for the opposition in his own end.
- Honourable mentions to Darnell Nurse for his own workhorse 17/18 season and Jeff Petry for holding his own during the 13/14 season.
SECOND PAIRING Andrej Sekera(16/17) - Jeff Petry(11/12)
This is gonna take some explaining so let's start with Andrej Sekera who is pretty easy to discuss. While the Klefbom and Larsson pairing of the 16/17 season were a dominant force, Sekera right behind was equally impressive. Sekera was a smooth vet who rarely got caught out in his own zone and was the Oilers top first pass out of the zone player on the roster. What makes Sekera all the more impressive was how he was able to maintain a nearly positive CF% of 49.15 while being anchored to Kris Russell. We are focusing on the regular season but I would be remiss if I didn't mention how massive a blow it was in the Oilers/Ducks series to lose Andrej.
The second pairing right shot is where things get weird. I wanted to include 13/14 Jeff Petry as an option but he actually played more than any other defender that season, ditto to the shortened 2012/2013 season. Justin Schultz played in that second pairing role but was constantly caved in defensively. Ethan Bear was also considered but by numbers I would have to place him as the top pairing right wing from this season.
By process of elimination I am left with Petry's first full season with the Edmonton Oilers. Tom GIlbert and Ladislav Smid were the Oilers main top unit, a sentence which brings up a number of repressed memories. Petry meanwhile ended up playing a fair amount of his time with Ryan Whitney on the second pairing and for a roster as poor as the 11/12 Oilers were, Petry stayed afloat. He was barely out-chanced and outscored while on the ice which when you look at the rest of the roster is still impressive. Petry unfortunately got pushed hard in Edmonton with very little coverage but he remains the best second pairing right shot the team has seen in years.
THIRD PAIRING
Brandon Davidson(15/16) - Matthew Benning(19/20)
Two young players who both fulfilled exactly what they were asked in their roles. Brandon Davidson was always an underdog from his AHL time up through his Oilers tenure. Again, plus/minus isn't a brilliant stat on it's own but Davidson led the Oilers that season with a +7 and a CF% of 51.97. Davidson was calm in his own end, rarely caught out and always made the smart play out of the zone. His game was certainly similar to what Sekera would do on a larger scale a year later.
For the third pairing right shot I could have picked a number of Matt Benning's seasons as ever since he joined the team in 2016/2017 he has been the perfect third pairing player. This season Benning unfortunately dealt with a flurry of injuries and concussions which limited his games. Despite that Benning was still a positive force whenever he was on the ice. His point totals may not reflect it, but Benning was a massive offensive threat and helped push play against the opposition. Benning is far more physical than his size suggests and over a full season he would have come close to leading the team in hits. I am looking forward to Holland resigning the RFA to keep his jack of all trades skill set on the Oilers roster.
GOALTENDING
Cam Talbot(2016/2017) Devan Dubnyk(2010/2011)
There shouldn't be any doubt who the Oilers best starter this decade has been. Cam Talbot alongside Connor McDavid were the two best players of the 2016/2017 season and directly responsible for their playoff run. Talbot played 73 games that season, finished with a 0.919SV% and ended up finishing 4th in Vezina votes. Talbot played 7 games more than the next goaltender and faced the most shots, and was tied with Holtby for the most wins. Talbot was absolute magic for the Oilers and despite his future struggles in Edmonton will always be remembered fondly for what he did that year.
Dubynk might have had better seasons in Edmonton but the 2010/2011 season was his best year as a backup. The early 2010's were the era of the Bulin Wall in Nikolai Khabibulin. Khabibulin's tenure in Edmonton was a disaster and during the 2010/2011 season he posted a 0.890SV% through 47 games, recording only 10 wins and 32 losses. Meanwhile, Devan Dubnyk appeared in 35 games, had 12 wins and 13 losses and a 0.916SV%. It remains a mystery why Tom Renney continued to go with his veteran netminder when Dubnyk consistently gave his team a better chance to win.
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To conclude, let me present my full Top Decade Edmonton Oilers Roster:
Hall-McDavid-Eberle RNH-Draisaitl-Perron Smyth-Strome-Kassian Hendricks-Gordon-Gagner
Klefbom-Larsson Sekera-Petry Davidson-Benning
Talbot Dubnyk
Thanks for reading!