I look at the San Jose Sharks and I realize how far away the Oilers really are from competing in the West. The depth that they have down the middle makes it possible for natural centermen to play the wing and they have players who are incredibly versatile. Whether it’s Brent Burns who is probably a better forward than a defenseman and he’s a good defenseman or Pavelski who leads their team in faceoffs won but has also played lots of Wing in the past, the Sharks can mix around their roster in countless combinations.
Meanwhile the Oilers have scarcely enough centers to scratch together a lineup and most of the wingers are significantly worse on one wing versus the other. Not to mention the idea of transferring one of them to the middle is a scary proposition. Even for the team’s best player (Taylor Hall) the idea of playing him on the RW or as a C is a road the team just doesn’t want to go down.
If we look at the list of the Sharks and Oilers rosters for players listed as Cs who have played at least 10 games the comparative depth of the two teams is drastic in difference.
Oilers: RNH Roy Gordon Lander Draisaitl
Sharks: Pavelski Couture Thornton Wingels Hertl Karlsson
Of the Oilers list, 1 was returned to the WHL after a disastrous start to his career, 1 spent almost the entire year in the AHL, and only 2 of the 3 remaining were supposed to be here from the beginning of the year. Only Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is playing a top 6 role for the team right now.
Of the Sharks, the top 3 players on their list could all step onto the Oilers today and challenge to be their best player (For this season at least). Thornton would certainly be the best Center out of the group but then they have Pavelski and Couture who can play dynamic offense and still be defensively responsible. It’s an embarrassment of riches and the Sharks are STILL just a middle of the pack Western Conference Playoff team.
The Oilers have a serious problem with the makeup of their roster and there may need to be a significant overhaul to fix the problems. They have too many guys who only know how to play 1 position 1 way and when things go bad the team just can’t cope.
I think back to the Oilers Kyle Brodziak to make room for Pouliot. I think back to trading Cogliano away for nothing because he wasn’t a good faceoff man. I think back to trading Gagner for another Winger because the team just drafted Leon Draisaitl and needed to make room for their prize rookie. Instead of converting players to wingers when the numbers looked bad they just moved players out of the organization. Now they have just enough guys to ice a team.
Good clubs should be collecting these guys like I collected POGs in 90’s. The Oilers just never got that memo. How much better off would this team have been if they could have given Draisaitl his start on the wing or at least had a player available in the top 6 who could swap positions with him when he started to struggle?
LINEUP
We know that Hall has been slowly inching towards playing again after taking that shot to the leg and with that loss to the Flames fresh in the mind it might be difficult to keep Hall away from the rink any longer. It shouldn’t matter in a lost season like this one, but the players are still human (just barely) and Hall is a competitor. It will probably kill Hall to stay away if his leg is even 75%. Scrivens played well enough against the Flames to keep them up by 2 going into the 3rd but 4 straight goals might push Fasth back between the pipes even if they weren’t all his fault.
Hall RNH Eberle Pouliot Roy Yak Hendricks Gordon Klinkhammer Fraser Lander Purcell
Ference Petry Klefbom Schultz Aulie Fayne
Fasth
OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME
1) Shake It Off. Going into the 3rd up 2-0 and losing 4-2 against the Calgary Flames is heartbreaking, even in a season full of heartbreak. Hopefully there weren’t too many Seahawks fans amongst the team because this might not have been a great weekend for them (As an aside, I hate the Seahawks and always have because for the majority of my life they were the only NFL team you could watch with regularity in the Edmonton region and they were crazy bad. It’s probably why I’ve always preferred the CFL too.) In any event, the Oilers have to move forward.
2) Presenting Petry. In a season where he has been the Oilers’ best defenseman I think he’s stepped his game up further this past week. He has been more physical than normal (he lead the Oilers in hits last year by almost 50) and that might be because he sees light at the end of this tunnel. Against the Flames he broke up 2 plays brilliantly with his stick and was integral to scoring the 2nd Goal of the game. Against the Sharks the Oilers will need him to stay at the top of his game against the likes of Pavelski, Thornton, Burns and Couture.
3) Klefbombs Away. The Oilers rookie defenseman has recorded at least one shot in his last 6 games. His ability to generate a little offense was not part of his billing when he was drafted and even in the American Hockey League. However, he is making an effort to take shots when the opportunities present themselves. Considering he is playing mainly with Schultz and Klefbom is in the role of the defensively responsible part of the pairing, I think he’s doing a great job so far. He also hasn’t been afraid to let the shot blockers leave with a few extra bruises either. The sky is the limit for this kid.
Puck drops tonight at 8:38PM Mountain Time on Sportsnet Oilers. Tank On!
Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy