The Oilers and Brandon Davidson agreed to terms today on a one year contract. Bob Stauffer reported that the deal is a 2 way for 585k/85k. He will, however, have to clear waivers if he is sent down.
Brandon Davidson gained a lot of support in the fanbase while he was overcoming his battle with Cancer and by pushing his career as far as it has. He is truly an underdog. He was a late blooming player who didn’t get into the WHL until he was 18. He joined the Pats then went on to have 3 productive years for them before graduating to the AHL. Finally, last year he pushed his way into NHL action.
His AHL/NHL splits from the 2014-2015 season looks like this:
AHL: 55GP, 4-6-10, 43 PIMs NHL: 12GP, 1-0-1, 0 PIMs
It’s clear that his work ethic and willpower have driven his career thus far, but my evaluation of Davidson hasn’t changed. He will need to stand out at least in some facet of the game to become a regular NHLer.
Davidson has just average NHL height and weight. He hasn’t proven to be overly mobile or a particularly adept puck mover to date. These things can be improved upon, but I would rate his high-end to be that of a 6-7 defenseman. And that’s only if everything goes well.
There’s some speculation that people within the Oilers organization really like Davidson, perhaps even to the point where losing him on waivers might scare them. This seems like a very silly thing to worry about. Davidson is well blocked from the NHL club at the moment with NHL talent or contracts to the tune of Sekera, Schultz, Klefbom, Fayne, Nikitin Gryba, Ference, Reinhart, and Nurse. And given the fact that Davidson is a late round pick without any offense, size, or speed I wouldn’t be too worried about other teams feeling like they had to steal him when rosters are being set as Training Camp ends.
I’m happy the Oilers are keeping Davidson though. He’s a survivor in every sense of the word. Even now I’m not giving him much credit and counting him out but he’s dealt with for his entire hockey career. At the very least he will be an example of willpower and dedication to other prospects on the farm. He’s also developed into a leader on Edmonton’s AHL squad.
Best of luck to Davidson on cracking the Oilers this coming year. He plays the underdog yet again. UPDATE
The Oilers also came to terms with Tyler Pitlick. I'm not going to write up a full post on Pitlick today. Biggest concerns are still going to be his health.
Ryan Rishaug reported the contract is 760K/85K for Pitlick
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