Edmonton Oilers fans shocked by defence rankings from top NHL analysts
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
The Edmonton Oilers have aggressively retooled their roster this offseason in pursuit of a Stanley Cup again, but there's at least one position they won't have to touch.
Oilers GM Stan Bowman clearly laid it out in his end of season media availability: forwards and goaltending would be evaluated deeply, but there seems to be no needs on defence.
Top NHL analysts rank Edmonton Oilers as best in league by far
According to a recent article from Athletic analysts Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille, the Oilers defence ranks in the 99th percentile, the highest in the NHL, and could use no improvements.
Current quality: 99th percentile Looking for: None
One of the reasons the Oilers were able to march back to the Stanley Cup Final was a defensive group so deep it was able to survive an injury to Mattias Ekholm, a top-pair star. That was made possible by the addition of Jake Walman, a lower-lineup luxury who gave the Oilers a heavy advantage in easier minutes.
Edmonton's group is a strong mix of offensive mobility and defensive suppression throughout, led by Evan Bouchard - a no-doubt franchise defenseman. This is a huge position of strength, one that could be parlayed into fixing an area of need elsewhere.
- The Athletic
One of the reasons the Oilers were able to march back to the Stanley Cup Final was a defensive group so deep it was able to survive an injury to Mattias Ekholm, a top-pair star. That was made possible by the addition of Jake Walman, a lower-lineup luxury who gave the Oilers a heavy advantage in easier minutes.
Edmonton's group is a strong mix of offensive mobility and defensive suppression throughout, led by Evan Bouchard - a no-doubt franchise defenseman. This is a huge position of strength, one that could be parlayed into fixing an area of need elsewhere.
- The Athletic
In the past the Oilers may have had a reputation for poor defence, but their new roster additions and the improvements from their star players over time has changed everything.
The addition of Jake Walman to the Oilers transformed the team's blue line into three incredibly strong pairings. If anything, it's actually possible the Oilers now have a logjam of talent on the blueline, especially considering their depth players.
It's interesting to hear the Athletic mention the Oilers could perhaps make a trade from this position of strength to address another area of their roster. Potentially, a defenceman could be moved in a goalie trade.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 22 | 495 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers fans shocked by defence rankings from top NHL analysts Do you think the Oilers have the best defence in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 81 | 16.4 % |
| No | 414 | 83.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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