The Oilers have a sinister problem in their organization, one that could threaten them at the NHL level if left unchecked. Now when I say sinister, I naturally mean it in the most archaic way. I mean to say they have a left-handed problem. Specifically, their entire crop of young Defensemen save for the KHL bound Philip Larsen are left shooting.
Now this is a bit of a concern because of the philosophy the team employs with regards to the usage of their defenders. It is clearly the preference of the coach and the management for left handed defensemen to play the the left side and right handed defensemen to play the right side. This set up allows for an easier time stopping pucks sent up the ice along the boards among other things.
This importance of this positional philosophy was played out at the last Olympics. Kevin Lowe, Grand Czar of the OEG and Oilers Hockey Ops Commandante, was an extremely influential member of the Hockey Canada group that famously dropped Norris trophy winner Subban below lesser defenders on the depth chart to satisfy the left-handed to right-handed ratio. Lowe's role in building the Defense for that team was highlighted by former Hockey Canada President Bob Nicholson himself after he joined the OEG.
The NHL club has just 3 right-handed defensemen in Schultz, Petry, and Fayne. This setup works well as the ratio is exactly the way the team wants it. Down the port side of the ice the Oil pair those players with Nikitin, Marincin, and Ference. It's an even mix of youth and experience on either side of the ice. But what happens if there's an injury or a trade (as the rumours about Petry persist)?
That's when things get sinister indeed. The Oilers organization is loaded with talented young blueliners bubbling under at the minor league and CHL level but they all have the same thing in common. They are all left handed.
Darnell Nurse Oscar Klefbom Martin Gernat David Musil Dillon Simpson William Lagesson Brandon Davidson Ben Betker Brad Hunt Joey Laleggia Jordan Oesterle
Eleven, ELEVEN defensemen in the pipeline and ALL of them are left handed. The only righty in the entire system who doesn't hold an NHL spot is failed experiment Philip Larsen who signed on in the KHL. He is only technically still an Oiler prospect because they own his NHL rights. He isn't available to the club, he isn't WANTED by the club. So that leaves just the eleven left shooting rearguards.
But is that really a problem? I think so, but one that the NHL club can deal with in the short term. The fact is that players will be forced to play their "off" sides if push comes to shove. Andrew Ference has played left and right defense in the past and certainly will again in the future. Nikitin has done it too, in fact there are some suggesting that he may even be more comfortable on the right side.
For the Barons the glut of lefties already forced Musil to the right side and it will force others too. They simply don't have a choice as it stands today. It wouldn't shock me to see the team make depth moves with some of the players lower on the depth chart to give the club some options at the minor league level.
Actually, considering it would take a year from now just to draft a righty and AT LEAST 3 years after that before one could reasonably expect a drafted player to make the NHL team, a trade is the only reasonable expectation.
Sinister.
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