Liam Reddox: Ginger with 9 Lives

I’ve long been a fan of Liam Reddox. Despite a rather long list of "yeah but’s" on his resume, the Oilers keep bringing him back as insurance and he keeps moving up the in-season depth chart. For a team looking for some sandpaper and an eye on what happens when the puck is going the wrong way, the little ginger might surprise. 

On his draft day, Reddox was a deep pick (112th overall, about 87 slots after Hockey Jesus) and very little was known about him. Redline Report: an agitator extraordinaire. Industrial strength abrasive. Plays like a pit bull–locks on and won’t let go.

A natural goal scorer in the OHL, Reddox graduated to pro hockey (ECHL) and had a pedestrian season. A long chat and a renewed effort over the summer following his signing a pro contract meant he arrived as a 21-year old and forced his way up the depth chart fall 2007. By 2008-09 established himself as a trusted young player for coach MacTavish. Which meant he had to earn the trust of the new coaching staff last season (Reddox was recalled in early November, playing 9 NHL games last season and graduating as a prospect. My line in the sand for that is 50 NHL games) and now begins anew with a (somewhat) new group of grey-hairs at the top.

Reddox signed this week (2-way deal, $90k in the A, $550k in the show) and has a nice chance to play in the NHL this season. Maybe not beginning the season with the Oilers (the flashy rookies will likely dominate) but on a team with very few defensive and penalty killing options up front, Liam the Lion should make an impression long before someone in management says "gee, we’ve got a lot of small forwards who can’t PK to save their ass."

There’s a chance Reddox will be lost to waivers when being sent down, or the Oilers will call him up and lose him on re-entry waivers. Having said that, their LW depth chart as it stands:

isn’t exactly overrunn with two-way options. Ryan Jones may end up playing RW (the depth chart without him on RW looks like this):

so Liam Reddox has a nice window of opportunity this fall. Moreau and Pisani are gone, and the Oilers have replaced them with rebar and duct tape (read: Jacques and MacIntyre). If the Oilers don’t sign someone for the 2-way W role before training camp, someone on the coaching staff is going to notice Liam Reddox in a very good way. He’s undersized, gets hit more often than Washington’s pitching staff, and isn’t going to stand out in this crowd of NHL wannabe’s.

But he has skill, gives effort and has learned the trade. I’ll bet money Liam Reddox has an NHL career; the question is where?