The Blueline is letting the Oilers down. “What?!… You say in 100% genuine shock. Yes. Letting them down…Completely. This group is bad, I think we all knew that, but outside of Devan Dubnyk’s first month it really is the story of the season. This is a group that apparently can neither provide defense nor the requisite offense to help at the NHL level. It was bad last year and none of the biggest issues were ever addressed, and now it continues to prevent a solid young stable of forwards from reaching their potential.
The Oilers forwards represent the youth and talent of this rebuild. They feature 1st Overall picks, they’re fast, they can score, and they are both the present and the future of this organization. Compare that to the Defense corps responsible for getting them the puck and it’s night and day. The Defense is questionable in their own end and inept out of it. Moving the puck is a huge problem here. The Oilers forwards need people to get them the puck to get on the attack. It’s obvious to say the Oilers don’t have a Pronger back there to make the first pass, but they don’t even have a Marek Zidlicky back there.
The top offensive Oiler blueliner is Justin Schultz. He may be known for his smooth skating and jumping up into the play, but he ranks 45th in Offense for Dmen in the NHL with 3-8-11. This is a guy who’s supposed to be leading the way back there but he just isn’t getting the Oilers what they need on a regular basis, no doubt due to the fact that this is just his 2nd professional season of hockey. Justin Schultz should never have been counted on for so much so early into his career, and yet he was the Oilers’ plan for points from the back end.
The drop off from there is as sad as it is stark. The next best offensive Oiler D-man is their Number 1 guy Jeff Petry. Argue until you’re blue in the face that he shouldn’t be the #1 guy and you wont hear any opposition from me but as of this moment that’s exactly what he is on the Oilers. His offensive contributions, despite playing more than the other Oiler Dmen is a mere 2-4-6. Six whole points in 30 games is completely unacceptable. It’s 105th in scoring by Defensemen and he’s surrounded by names like Savard, Bartkowski, and Larsen. Yeah…that Larsen.
In 10 games Philip Larsen matched offensively what Petry has done in 30. The Captain has 2 whole points on the year. Belov has 4. The facts are plain, this team is being cut off at the knees because the offense is completely dependent on whatever the 3 forwards who are on the ice can produce. They aren’t getting the puck. They aren’t getting help from the points. They aren’t being joined in the rush. This team is playing shorthanded in every offensive situation out there.
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