B.) Is it possible the analytics don’t present everything Russell does? The Oilers made it to game seven of the 2nd round. Some would argue a few tough calls prevented them from going to the third round. If Russell was such a liability why did the coach play him the 3rd most minutes of any skater, after Larsson and McDavid, in the playoffs? (Klefbom missed a game or he would have been higher, same with Sekera). Russell missed 14 games in the regular season and still logged the 7th most minutes on the team. The Oilers were a 103-point team. If he was such a liability, then the rest of the team is even better than people think, because they had to carry him around, or maybe the numbers don’t tell the entire story.

Russell is a very good skater. He can close gaps well when he is aggressive. He is very competitive and he battles hard. He is also an excellent shot blocker, arguably the best in the NHL, but a blocked shot is counted as a negative when tracking Corsi against. Sadly, shot blocking has become a vital skill in today’s NHL. I don’t love it, but it is a fact. Erik Karlsson, arguably the best defenseman in the game, was second behind Russell in the regular season in blocked shots. The premise from those who suggest blocking shots means you are out of position is incorrect. It has become a skill and Russell is one of the best in the league. He’s learned to time his entrance into the shooting lane very well. As analytics continues to evolve should they look at tracking the importance of a well-timed shot block. I realize Fenwick eliminates blocked shots, and if you look at Russell his FF% was 49.2% this season. Sekera was 50.8%. Larsson was 51% and Klefbom was 51.8%. Not a massive difference from the top-four defenders who played similar competition.

He is also versatile. He can play both sides. The majority of defenders aren’t as effective when they play their offside, and many can’t play their offside very well at all. Russell can play in the second pairing and he can play LD with Benning or he could play RD with Nurse.

C.) Re-signing Russell did not cost the Oilers any assets. Had they acquired Travis Hamonic, Tyson Barrie, Justin Faulk or some of the other rumoured names, it would have cost the Oilers picks, players or prospects. The Oilers depth chart, outside the NHL, is not very deep. Over the next five seasons, they will need to develop some young players who can enter the lineup and contribute with a low salary.

During his May media availability, Chiarelli said he wanted to be in a position to let his young D-men develop. He was going to be patient with his defence and give the young players an opportunity to grow. “We’ve got some young D who had a terrific experience in these playoffs,” said Chiarelli. “You saw Darnell move up with Larsson and I think you saw a good pair. You see some promise there. You saw Benning move up with Russell, you saw some good performances. There’s room for growth, we have to allow space for that. We made some major additions this past year, I’d like to let it evolve a little bit,” he said.He is sticking to his plan. The Sekera injury means Benning and Nurse will see more icetime. Benning will likely start on the 2nd unit PP, while Nurse will take Sekera’s PK minutes. Sekera led the Oilers in PK minutes, and Russell was 2nd despite missing 14 games. Both Benning and Nurse will see an uptick in their EV minutes as well.

The Oilers have 13 forwards signed, who we expect to compete for jobs in the NHL: McDavid, Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Patrick Maroon, Zack Kassian, Strome, Puljujarvi, Slepyshev, Pouliot, Caggiula, Letestu, Iiro Pakarinen and Jujhar Khaira. Draisaitl is an RFA and Pitlick is a UFA. Pitlick should test the market. The RW free agent market isn’t very deep, and most of the big names are older. The only RW free agents under the age of 30, who played 30+ NHL games last season are Tommy Wingels (7-5-12 in 75GP), Brian Flynn (6-4-10 in 51 GP) and Pitlick (8-3-11 in 31GP). Older guys include Jaromir Jagr (45), Shane Doan (40), Jarome Iginla (39), Radim Vrbata (36), Justin Williams (35) and Ales Hemsky (33).

When they sign Draisaitl they will have 14 forwards. The Oilers could use some more centre depth. A centre who could play both wing and centre would be welcome, but the centre UFA depth pool is also shallow. Sam Gagner and Joe Thornton lead the UFA centre crop with 50 points last year. Martin Hanzal will be sought after. He is big, strong, decent offensively and good defensively. Nick Bonino will garner a lot of attention as well. He had 18 goals last year playing behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. He will get a big raise from his $1.9 million cap hit. Brian Boyle is 32 and a solid 3rd line centre.

Jordan Weal is guy who could help in the depth department. He turned 25 in April. He’s paid his dues the past three years in the AH and produced 186 points in 192 games. He was named Calder Cup MVP when Manchester won in 2015. Last year he got a chance with the Flyers in Philadelphia and in 23 games he scored 8-4-12. I wouldn’t break the bank on him, and some team might in a shallow free agent pool, but he is very skilled and on a soft minute third line matchup I think he could produce.

Moving forward I expect McDavid and Draisaitl to face the toughest matchups, just like we saw in the playoffs vs. Anaheim. If Draisaitl plays centre for much of the season, I believe RNH will have every opportunity to produce against softer competition. The Oilers have told him they want him to rediscover his offensive creativity, and by playing against the other teams bottom six he should be able to flourish. Having a skilled guy like Weal alongside him might be an option, or if they move Draisaitl to the wing for a few games and RNH up to the 2nd line then Weal could centre the third line.

Chiarelli’s off-season isn’t over yet. He could surprise and make a big splash, but thus far he has remained fairly patient. The Oilers are only one year removed from the Decade of Darkness. They still need more organizational depth, and this summer won’t be as exciting or sexy as last year for Oilers fans. I’ve read some people suggesting Chiarelli is wasting McDavid’s final year of his ELC and that is ruining a great opportunity to win.

I believe the final year or ELC is slightly over-stated. The last seven Stanley Cup Champions didn’t have an elite forward or D-man on their ELC. Boston had Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand in 2011, but Seguin only played 13 playoff games. Marchand had 41 points in the regular season and was wasn’t their star forward. Chicago, LA and Pittsburgh have each won twice in the past six years, but their core was comprised of proven vets. Matt Murray was huge for the Penguins, but they had Marc-Andre Fleury and his $5.75 million cap hit as the backup. They weren’t getting great goaltending on the cheap.

The 2010 Blackhawks were the last team to win the Cup with two star forwards on their ELC. Of course it can help, but the Oilers don’t have a Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook (both Olympians in 2010) on their blueline like the 2010 Hawks did. It is rare to win a Cup with your star on his ELC. The Penguins have won back-to-back with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on their third contracts making big money. If you have a superstar in the NHL, then you have a chance to be successful well past his ELC.

I understand why Chiarelli has been patient thus far this summer. The Oilers exceeded everyone’s expectations last year, including Chiarelli’s, and I sense he wants to see more from this group before he starts making moves to take his team from playoff contender to Stanley Cup contender.

That path is much more difficult to climb than going from a non-playoff team to a playoff team. The most challenging part of the Oilers ascent up the NHL mountain is just beginning.

On Thursday night (June 29th), we’re hosting our first Nation Night at the Ballpark as the Edmonton Prospects take on the Weyburn Beavers. As you’d expect, we’ll have some prizes to give away and stickers for the kids (big or small) so clear your calendar and plan to be at RE/MAX Field on Thursday night. Tickets are available here.