Monday Mailbag – How concerned are you about the Oilers’ RHD depth?

Happy Monday, Internet friends, and welcome to a brand new edition of the Mailbag to help get your week started and break down all things Edmonton Oilers. This week we’re looking at the RHD depth, Mattias Ekholm, Jack Campbell, and a whole lot more. If you’ve got a question you’d like to ask, email it to me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or hit me up on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk and I’ll get to you as soon as we can.

It isn’t ideal, but Colorado won with Bowen Byram playing top-four minutes last year in the playoffs and he didn’t have much more experience than Evan Bouchard. Desharnais is a 26-year-old rookie so he has his man strength. If he plays within his limits he will be okay, and he will need to stay calm when the emotions of the playoffs intensify.

It’s not ideal. That said, I like the addition of Ekholm alongside Bouchard or whoever he’s put beside. I like the competitive streak and edge Desharnais brings but he’s so short on NHL games (22).

I am concerned about it. I wrote about this earlier in the week, but I really wish Holland would have gone out and gotten a veteran right-shot defenseman as an insurance policy for the right side. It likely wouldn’t have cost too much and that player would have likely been needed at some point when you consider how weak the depth is on the right side. I guess one of Ekholm, Kulak, or Broberg could play their offside, but the Oilers are one injury away from potentially having Niemalainen-Broberg as their third pairing. Not ideal.

I am concerned about the right side. I think it was the one hole Ken Holland was unable to fill before the trade deadline. Cody Ceci and Evan Bouchard will be fine but it is Vincent Desharnais that concerns me. I do not think he is an everyday NHL defenceman yet. However, I would assume the Oilers feel confident that one of their left shots, likely Brett Kulak, can play the right side well enough that it won’t be an issue.

I’m nervous about it. I would have loved for Ken Holland to snag someone for the right side to add some depth, but it just wasn’t meant to be. We’ll need all three of those guys to step up in a big way.

He will need a good off-season. We have seen many goalies rebound from season-to-season. He doesn’t need to be outstanding, he just can’t be so cold, hot and cold that he’s been this year. Just be steady.

He’s a spectator and a rest opportunity for Skinner for the rest of this season. He was to get sorted out in the off-season and that has to show the second he gets on the ice for the next training camp. You can’t just hope he bounces back.

You definitely hope he bounces back. I highly doubt some team is just going to be willing to take him off your hands. I think they should bring him back and see if he can bounce back next season and then go out and search for an upgrade on Calvin Pickard as their third goaltending. Worst case scenario is that next season starts badly again and the team does what the LA Kings did this season with Cal Petersen and place Campbell on waivers so he can find his game in the minors. Hopefully, it doesn’t come to that though.

At this point, the Oilers cannot keep giving Jack Campbell games in the hope that he finds his form. It is mid-March and he has not yet, which tells me he likely won’t. I would give him five more starts in the regular season: Ottawa (March 14th), San Jose (March 20th), Arizona (March 27th), Anaheim (April 1st), and San Jose (April 8th). Even if he allows four or five the Oilers should score six or seven against those teams. The Ottawa game will be the toughest of the bunch.

I’ve gotten to the point where I hope the pressure of this first year with a new team is what’s getting to him. That’s all I’ve got tbh. As for what happens next, I would imagine that the Oilers will try to sign an experienced #3 as some Campbell insurance even though that feels like a horrible thing to have to say.

He is solid, but not in the category of Pronger. Nurse, Klefbom and Larsson have similar qualities. Having him and Nurse will be a huge boost to the Oilers’ blueline.

If we’re talking about Ekholm as the best anything after six games, SIX, with the Oilers, we’re rushing to judgment. He’s been impressive so far. Steady. Poised. Let’s see a stretch drive and playoff run out of him and we’ll know a lot more.

I believe he is. His foot speed isn’t great but he clearly thinks the game at a high level and still shuts down plays with his physical play. He’s a solid passer, which some people overlook, and he’s more than capable of giving a team 23+ minutes a night against high-end competition. He is exactly what the Oilers needed.

Unfortunately, I never watched Chris Pronger play for the Edmonton Oilers so I cannot give much expertise to this. However, from what I have seen of Ekholm, I can see why he would be compared to a hall of famer. Ekholm has impacted the Oilers’ blue line in a massive way. Evan Bouchard is playing significantly better and even Darnell Nurse seems to be finding a groove again. I am really excited to see what Philip Broberg becomes under Ekholm’s guidance too. Hats off to Ken Holland for getting the deal done.

I mean, Chris Pronger was an absolute specimen so even for Ekholm that is a tough comparison. That said, he’s easily the most well-rounded d-man that I can remember the Oilers having in a very long time. I love the way this guy plays.

With no cap space I don’t see how a long-term deal is possible. I expect a Bridge deal. There aren’t many bridge comparables, however, for him. I suspect it will be around $3m.

I don’t know what Ken Holland will do, but if I was GM I’d have to see a lot more out of him before I handed over any real term or money. I’ve liked him in stretches, but other times not so much. For me, it would be a bridge right now.

It probably depends on a few things. If the cap goes up $3.5-4.5 million, then they should consider going with a long-term extension. Also, it depends on what their plan is in free agency. If they want to run back the same group next season, then going long-term with Bouchard makes sense. Lock him in now and have a bargain down the line when McDavid and Draisaitl need new deals. If they want to make a splash and upgrade their roster in free agency, then they likely won’t have the money to also go long-term with Bouchard.

The Oilers have to find a way to sign Evan Bouchard long-term. He is having a down year but has turned it around since Ekholm came in. I would attempt to sign him to the Oscar Klefbom deal but if you’ve got to touch closer to $5 million per year it should not be a big issue. Holland re-signed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Stuart Skinner to good deals so hopefully, he can pull off some magic again.

If they can give him a Klefbom deal then they have to do it. It’s clear the organization believes in him and his play has really rebounded since Ekholm arrived, so I’m hoping for a long term deal for dad.

They will catch Seattle for sure. The head-to-head games v. LA and Vegas will determine if they finish in the #3 spot, or if they can climb to #2 and get home ice. Finishing 1^st will be very difficult. If Vegas goes 8-8 down the stretch the Oilers have to go 11-4 in their final 15. If Vegas goes 9-7, then Edmonton has to go 12-3.

They’re not destined for anything with 15 games left. They’re one point out of third and four points out of second in the Pacific. What they can’t do is repeat that blown 3-1 lead they gave up in Toronto. Too tight for any more of that.

The determining factor will be head-to-head games. They have two vs the Kings, two vs the Golden Knights, and one vs the Kraken. If you roll through those, then the top spot in the division is up for grabs. If you struggle, then the wild card spot is the most likely outcome.

It is going to come down to if they win their games against Pacific Division opponents throughout the remainder of the season. They have one game against Seattle, two versus the Golden Knights, and two more against LA. There are also some “easier” games against Arizona, San Jose, and Anaheim.

The Oilers have a bunch of head-to-head games against the Pacific Division down the stretch, meaning they can jump up in the standings if they close out some of these wins. My bet today is that they finish second in the Pacific.

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