Edmonton Oilers player review and 2021-22 preview: Alex Chiasson

You were either in two camps of thinking with Alex Chiasson in Edmonton: you loved him, or you hated him.

He came to Edmonton on a pro-try-out ahead of the 2018-19 season earning himself a one-year contract and he didn’t disappoint. He scored 22 goals and 38 points in 73 games that year and was a big depth scoring addition to the team.

He kept up a decent bottom-six scoring pace throughout his time in Edmonton, and now, it appears he’s off to different pastures as a UFA.

Last year, Chiasson found himself fighting for a bottom-six role playing in 45 games, but his struggles this year were apparent. With him on the ice at 5×5, the Oilers controlled 43.19 percent of the shot attempts, 37.93 percent of the goals scored, 41.36 percent of the expected goals while posting a 98.5 PDO.

Chiasson got bit by bad puck luck. His on-ice save percentage dipped three percent from the year before and that’s a big reason for his struggles.

But Chiasson’s isolated impacts were decent. At even-strength, he contributed offence at a seven percent rate below league average and defence at a one percent rate above league average. He made his mark mainly on the powerplay, where according to hockeyviz.com, he contributed offence at a 15 percent rate above league average.

He doesn’t have a home heading into next season, and I think the Oilers could do worse bringing him back as a 13th forward. I liked his defensive impacts on the ice, and that’s what you want from a veteran depth forward.