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Oil Leak

August 14, 2018, 6:26 PM ET [81 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Stop me if you have heard this one before.

The Edmonton Oilers are in deep, desperate need of an upgrade on their mediocre blue line.

They need a top four puck distributor.

Check that.

The Oilers now need two top four NHL defenseman now that veteran D Reggie Sekera is out indefinitely. Sekera, 32, recently suffered a torn Achilles tendon during a summer training session.





Sekera played just 36 games last season for the Oilers after suffering a torn knee ligament injury during the 2016-17 playoffs.

The Oilers failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs last season.


Sekera is Edmonton's highest paid D-man at $5.5M AAV for the next three seasons.

Last season Sekera scored 8 assists in 36 games played. He averaged 16:20 TOI.

In 683 career games played, Sekera has scored 45 goals and 187 assists for 232 career points. Sekera averages 20:47 TOI per game for his career.

In 19 career playoff games, Sekera has scored 2 goals and 2 assists.


The sting of the Sekera injury is counter balanced by the good news that Oilers D Oscar Klefbom has successfully recovered from a shoulder procedure. Klefbom has been given a clean bill of health.

Todd McLellan's defense corps is crepe paper thin right now. There's no guarantee that Klefbom won't re-injure his chronic shoulder injury during training camp. Darnell Nurse and Adam Larsson and Klefbom are the top three. Three bottom pair defensemen are now vying for the four spot. Kris Russell, Matthew Benning and Kevin Gravel are not top four defenseman.
Sophomore Ethan Bear is also a candidate to plug and play in the short term, however, can he be counted on to play heavy minutes?

I fully expect Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli to be active in trade talks. Chiarelli needs to find two veteran defensemen now that Sekera will be placed on the long term injury list. Sekera will likely need 6-7 months to fully recover from his Achilles tear injury.

Two NHL defensemen that have been linked to Chiarelli via trade chatter the past two seasons are Boston Bruins D Torey Krug and Buffalo Sabres D Rasmus Ristolainen.

Carolina Hurricanes puck mover Justin Faulk has also been linked to the Oilers this summer.

It won't come easy or cheap, but Chiarelli can avail himself of two NHL defenseman by calling Jason Botterill.

The Sabres currently have nine NHL defenseman on their roster with Ristolainen, first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin, Brendan Guhle, Marco Scandella, Zach Bogosian, Jake McCabe, Casey Nelson, Nathan Beaulieu, and Matt Hunwick. Botterill aslo has NHl D-men in Rochester in Zach Redmond, Taylor Fedun and Matt Tennyson. Botterill's not parting with free agent signee and Swedish Elite League Defenseman of The Year, Lawrence Pilut. Nor is Botterill interested in trading yoing D prospects Will Borgen, Brandon Hickey and Devante Stephens.






Chiarelli can get Beaulieu and Redmond for a second rounder and a top nine forward.

If Chiarelli truly has intensions of trading for a top pair, minute-munching D the ilk of Ristolainen, he better be prepared to part with a top six scoring forward not named Connor McDavid.

Yes. That definitely means Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would have to be part of a deal with Buffalo. Do I believe that Chiarelli would go there? No, I don't. However, stranger things have happened in the NHL.


Chiarelli can also use Sekera's LTIR funds to invest in a veteran UFA defenseman such as Kevon Bieksa, Paul Martin, Josh Gorges, Toby Enstrom, or Alexei Emelin.

Chiarelli was rumored to be shopping his 10th overall pick at the NHL Draft in June. His desire was to parlay the #10 pick into a top four veteran NHl defenseman. Chiarelli held onto #10 and selected an impressive young D with that pick.


Chiarelli drafted defenseman Evan Bouchard (London Knights) with the 10th overall pick at the NHL Draft in Dallas. Bouchard is a wonderful offensive defenseman in junior hockey, however, he is nowhere near ready to dress and play for the Oilers on opening night. In due time, Bouchard, 18, projectst to be an excellent NHL puck mover. Chiarelli would be wise to place Bouchard back in London for a third season of junior hockey development.
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