Basically to sum up... here's the problem as I've seen it: Gilbert is being used as a jack-of-all trades (including 'shutdown' role) d-man when really he excels at one end of the rink only. That definitely isn't entirely his fault, but more a default role he's been forced to take because of injuries... and perhaps somewhat because of unrealistic expectations forced on him due to a bad contract.

Defencemen who are counted on to move the puck are always going to be high in turnovers. In some ways they are comparible to basketball pointguards who turnover the ball a lot.Just check Steve Nashs turnovers which are near NBA high. The oiler fans like there defenceman to eat raw meat and as they perceive Tom as soft they look for imaginary flaws

amen. Gilberts only problem is that he is a second pairing defenseman being treated as a 1-2 defenseman. He is a guy that should be part of the rebuild.

Duncan Keith- damn soft player...

As was mentioned above though, the giveaway rate of 'other top defensemen/players' is much less of a concern because those guys are contributing to much of their team's scoring.

I would also hesitate to call Whitney/Gilbert a shutdown pairing.

Also I find the sv% stat a strange one for people to use, as Dubnyk or Khabibulin do not make better saves when Whitney is out. You of course are implying, however, that 4 of the 5 skaters on the ice are playing better defensive hockey when Whitney is out there, but tossing out the possibility that Whitney is as large or even larger a factor for that increased sv%.

One thing we can agree on though is that Gilbert would be very good in a soft minute role. That doesn't mean shut down role though, but much of the offensive opportunity, pp minutes, etc.. and the occasional defensive zone work.

Oh, one last thing.. Whitney, while racking up lots of assists early on, looked equally horrible in the early going of the season, and I called him on that. So those that are using Whitney's shortcomings as defense of Gilbert's.. I don't think that is a very good defense at all.

Eventually something clicked in Whitney though, and he became our best defenseman overall. I honestly think it was when Gilbert and he were split up. I'm not blaming that on Gilbert though. I found that to be odd, to be honest, because those guys were great together at the end of the previous year. But for whatever reason, that pairing stopped clicking.

I did not say that they are a shutdown pair. I am sayign Oilers need a shutdown pair to put these guys in softer role.

Yes he is.

Fortunately for Chicago, he's is paired most times with Seabrook who isn't.

I expect if he threw a body check once in a while he wouldn't have that label.

But he doesn't.

I wouldn't call Foster tough and he's recorded 79 hits to Gilbert's 58.

You don't need a mean streak to throw a hit...you just need the desire to separate the puck carrier from the puck.

so close to 0.9 hits/game is a hit once in a while no?

Couple of Points:

1. If Gilbert could rack up some comparable points like the NHL-ers in this list (say 45+ pts as a dman)then maybe he too would be forgiven and not so "buttery".

2. At 6'4" I don't wish that he layed more guys out with the big hit but that he would show a bit more tenacity and close in on the angle and "take the puck" ala a Lidstrom-like dman ratherthan hang back. Again plays soft + buttery at the wrong times.

THUNDEROUS BODYCHECKS

At $4+MM/yr he's not earning his pay-cheque he's earning Smid's.

As is a raw shot blocking number.

Has anybody noticed how well Montgomery and Teubert have played in OKC since the trade? At least from an outsiders perspective, they look to be excelling.

JW, I agree, also, that was a funny read!!!!

Blocking a shot takes courage but there is pretty much zero chance you may to fight after doing so.

@ Jonathan Willis

No doubt blocking shots takes courage. While this makes Gilbert brave, however given dictionary.com's definition of "soft" (seen below), Gilbert is pretty soft.

1. yielding readily to touch or pressure; easily penetrated, divided, or changed in shape; not hard or stiff: a soft pillow. 2. relatively deficient in hardness, as metal or wood. 3. smooth and agreeable to the touch; not rough or coarse: a soft fabric; soft skin. 4. producing agreeable sensations; pleasant or comfortable: soft slumber. 5. low or subdued in sound; gentle and melodious: soft music; a soft voice. 6. not harsh or unpleasant to the eye; not glaring: soft light; a soft color. 7. not hard or sharp: soft outlines. 8. gentle or mild: soft breezes. 9. genial or balmy, as climate or air. 10. gentle, mild, warm-hearted, or compassionate: a soft, grandmotherly woman. 11. smooth, soothing, or ingratiating: soft words. 12. not harsh or severe, as a penalty or demand. 13. responsive or sympathetic to the feelings, emotions, needs, etc., of others; tender-hearted. 14. sentimental or flowery, as language: soft, meaningless talk. 15. not strong or robust; delicate; incapable of great endurance or exertion: He was too soft for the Marines.

Gilbert might be be hard to trade with bloated salary. He would be here for years to come.

Yes, you are right. It does not mean that, but have you actually watched the Oilers play and see how often he takes one in the body? It's a lot.

Also I don't think you get to be near the top ten in the league without blocking them every which way you can.

I still remember Horcoff blocking one in the playoffs with his face. Now I don't know whether that is courage or stupidity or a little of both but wow.

And then you went and spoiled everything.

I appreciate his talent for blocking shots, but being there is way more to being a top 4 d man, like taking the body, clearing the front of the net, putting the fear of God into forwards, not giving the puck away. In a perfect world, he would be a number 4 dman, with a tough hombre for a partner.

I read almost every article Oilernation outs out, this one is one of the weakest I've ever read. Can anyone actually remember saying, what a nice block by Gilbert, I think not. TWO THUMBS DOWN!!!!

Gilbert leads Peckham in TOI by a wide margin.

If you adjust Peckham's blocked shots for the difference in TOI, Peckham would actually be ahead of Gilbert.

Incidentally, despite the wide gap in TOI, Peckham has outhit Gilbert 170-58.

Using a raw number to prove a point as JW has done here doesn't tell you much at all except that Gilbert is hanging on for dear life when he's on the ice.

It's nice that he has a niche (blocking shots), but a niche isn't enough on this Oiler blueline.

This team does not have an abundance of Getzlaf type forwards. I mean, do you think any opposition player is concerned about getting hit from Cogs, Gagner, Brule, Eberle, Omark or Hemsky?

I have no problem with a Gilbert paired with a Shea Weber/Duncan Keith type defenceman on a team with more bruisers up front, but on a team with smurfs up front, you need more toughness and that proverbial mean streak from the d.

Gilbert doesn't hit, along the boards or otherwise, or clear the front of the net, and he seems to shy away from contact when other players initiate (perhaps the reason for his games played streak).

He's a good player, but I am not convinced he is a fit for THIS Oilers team. Put him on the Bruins with Chara (recent behaviour aside) and Lucic and he would probably thrive.

Successful teams are made up of complementary players, and sadly this Oilers team lacks synergies. Until the Oilers start focusing on the bigger picture, we will continue to see this mish-mash of players, some good, but that can't WIN together because the peices don't fit.

Gagner is so good at back checking he leads the team in scoring and is a -17. My point is our forwards are mostly small, soft and young. As a group we are not very good at supporting our D, clearing the zone effectively or having decent zone coverage. This puts a lot more pressure on the D. That leads to turnovers and a lack of offensive pressure.

Every Dman Gilbert is being compared to has a lot more experienced, bigger, more skilled team in front of them. I bet Lidstrom would have half the points he does and be -10 on this sad sack team.

Gilbert is also on the NHL's watch list for his nasty headshots.

He is a bonafied bad ass in this league.

~ yeah, just like that lidstrom fella!~

Yep. TG paid too much? Probably... Does it affect the Oil? Nope, other than difficult to package up for a trade. But does he form a valuable asset? Yes... So why trade him?

Trade because he might be overpaid????? That's why people blog instead of managing nine figure franchises.

I can assure you that it is not possible for anyone to watch more Oilers games than I do. My point is merely that shot blocking does not necessarily equate to sacrificing your body, and I am not aware of any official stats kept that would measure body blocks vs other blocks.

This is not a slight to Tom Gilbert, merely a fact. This is also not to say that you are either right or wrong in your thoughts. However, there are no stats kept on how often Gilbert may or may not take one in the body. Your quote that "It's a lot" is opinion only and I doubt that you have kept a ledger to measure it.

Having said that, you are right that with the number of blocks credited to him, he is likely blocking them in many ways. And in the end maybe that's all that really matters, being in position to make the block and presumably reduce the oppositions scoring chances.

The only reason Tom Gilbert has so many blocked shots is because he's one of the worst defenseman in the NHL at clearing his zone. He constantly gives the puck away in his own zone which results in the other team getting a lot of shots while he's out there, some are bound to hit his dumb ass.

That soft piece of horse manure just cost the oil another goal.

Just watched Duncan "marshmallow" Keith get done playing the Caps. People who say this guy is good defensively are just flat out lying to your face. Everytime I watch this guy he is making bad plays or not hitting anyone.

Amen to that