There aren’t a lot of good right-shot defencemen certain to
be available in trade or via free agency this summer. Tyson Barrie was one of
the few players widely believed to be on the market, a skilled offensive
defenceman looking for a raise from a team that was thought to be lukewarm to
the prospect.

No longer.  

It’s a sensible decision from the Colorado Avalanche. The
Avs are nearly in as bad a fix defensively as the Edmonton Oilers, and Barrie
was clearly their top offensive rearguard. Not only is Barrie one of those rare
high-scoring right-shot defenders, but he only turns 25 this summer and could
be a long-term piece of the puzzle for Colorado.

The Avs decision to retain Barrie reduces the number of
options available to Edmonton, and it wasn’t a very big field to begin with.

Barrie, Justin Faulk and Kevin Shattenkirk were all players
who could conceivably have addressed the Oilers’ need for puck-moving,
right-shot defencemen capable of playing top-four minutes.

So who is left? Two names stand out both as fixtures in the
rumour mill and as partial solutions to Edmonton’s need on the right side.

Jason Demers. The
best thing about Demers is that if he makes it to unrestricted free agency he’s
going to cost nothing but money; there will be no need to sacrifice top talent
to land him. Additionally, he’s an accomplished two-way defender at
even-strength, the kind of player who can help his team in multiple areas and
has no glaring weaknesses. The trouble is that he isn’t the kind of guy an NHL
team wants running its top power play, and while his underlying numbers are
good he’s never been asked to anchor a top pair at 5-on-5, either. We looked
at him back in May.

Sami Vatanen. The
Anaheim Ducks’ defenceman is a restricted free agent this summer and has been a
person of interest for Oilers fans for months now. Back in February, I
took a long look at his NHL track record. The good news is that he’s a
young defender with high-end offensive ability and a track record on both
special teams and could be a long-term fit as a power play quarterback in
Edmonton. The bad news is that he doesn’t have a history of logging a lot of
minutes at even-strength, and he’s probably a better fit for a second-pair role
at 5-on-5.

There are other players, too, of course. The optimistic may
be looking at P.K. Subban in Montreal or Dougie Hamilton in Calgary. Jacob
Trouba’s name has been mentioned, given the possibility of a contract squabble
in Winnipeg. Buffalo has
an abundance of right-shot rearguards. The list goes on, though it’s
difficult to know which skaters are actually available.

All that’s clear today is that the list of available players
is smaller by one name.

 

There are few certainties in life – we can always count on the sun coming up in the morning, Edmonton winters being dreadful, and the Oilers missing the playoffs. As such, we present the annual OilersNation Draft Party! It’s time to honour the the anniversary of drafting our beloved Connor, celebrate the rewards of another failed season, and raise some money for charity.

Here’s what you need to know…

The party is happening at the Pint Downtown on Friday, June 24th. The goal is to raise as much money as possible for the Red Cross and their efforts to bring normalcy back to Fort McMurray, and have a little bit of fun while we’re at it. For $30 you get a Draft Party t-shirt, a $10 Pint GC, a $10 Oodle Noodle GC, a draft party collectors cup, and a chance for prizes and eternal glory.

All proceeds from tickets sold will be donated directly to the Red Cross so bring your friends, get involved, and help us support a community in need. Tickets are still available here.

One day, the Oilers will be a good hockey team and we’ll all be able to laugh about this. Until then, we party.