Questions on defence: Part Two

Today is part two of my seven-part series on the Oilers’ defence, and I will focus on Brandon Davidson. We looked at Oscar Klefbom in part one.

Davidson was very good last year — the only downside was he missed 24 games due to injury. He exceeded everyone’s expectations, even the coaches, considering he was a healthy scratch in seven of their first eight games.

This year the picture is much different. He enters training camp as a player many believe could be a solid second pairing defender. His on-ice play and his numbers from last season, albeit it only 51 games, were very good and Davidson himself believes he can still improve in many areas.

The Oilers were outscored 176-141 at even strength last season, yet Davidson was +7. I’m not the biggest fan of +/-, but he also had a CF% of 52%. When he was on the ice, the Oilers out scored and out shot the opposition..

And it wasn’t like he played easy minutes. He averaged 19:11/game and a quick look at who he played against (scroll down) illustrates he played against many top-six forwards.

Compare him to the rest of the Oilers defenders, who played similar minutes in 30+ games, and his numbers reflect a solid campaign.

Andrej Sekera averaged 21:50/game and was -15 and had a CF of 48.8% in 81 games.
Justin Schultz played 45 games, averaged 20:07/game and was -22. with a CF of 47.4%.
Oscar Klefbom averaged 21:53, was -4 with a 50.5% CF in 30 games.
Darnell Nurse dressed in 69 games, averaged 20:13/game, was -13 with a CF of 45.5%.

Those are solid numbers, and the positive news for Davidson is the areas he needs to improve the most are in the offensive zone, not defensively. I’m not saying he’s perfect defensively, but the strength of his play last year was in his D-zone. He was good positionally. He took good angles to puck on retrievals, as well as when attacking forwards in the corner. He rarely made a five-star mistake, and he battled hard.

Offensively is where he can improve and when he and I spoke last he was quick to point out where he wants to improve. “I need to use my shot more. I need to find open space so I can use it, and when I get the puck I need to shoot it quicker. I know I have a good shot, but I didn’t use it enough (last year) and moving forward I want to be more of a factor offensively,” he said.

Then he quickly added, “But not at the expense of my defensive play. I won’t take chances to create offence in our end, but when we have possession in the offensive zone I feel I can add more than I did this year.”

Early in the season Davidson teased us with his slap shot. He scored twice in his first five games, October 29th and 31st, both on howitzer one-timers, but he only scored twice in his next 46 games. He simply didn’t shoot the puck often enough for someone with such a good shot.

Davidson had 63 shots in 51 games. Nurse had 120 shots in 69 games. He averaged 1/2 shot more per game than Davidson, and Davidson played seven more PP minutes than Nurse (22-15). Klefbom had 48 shots in 30 games. 

I’m not criticizing Davidson. It was a refreshing change to see a defender excel in his own end, rather than worry about offence, I’m just pointing out he has room to grow, especially offensively, and that is a positive.

Davidson is on a very good development curve, even though many think he’s a late bloomer.

He was drafted 162nd overall in 2010. He played two more years of junior after being drafted, which is the norm for many players. Then he spent three years developing in the AHL, and played 12 NHL games during his third year. This is pretty standard for many defenders drafted outside the first two rounds.

It is very difficult to play defence in the NHL, and most players need time to learn and gain experience in the AHL. Davidson’s 63 NHL games are 13th among D-men from the 2010 draft class. It takes time to develop your game unless you’re a rare exception like Aaron Ekblad, Drew Doughty and a few others.

However, like every D-man on the roster there is a question surrounding Davidson.

Can he improve on last season, or was that his peak?

It is a valid question. I believe he has room to grow and will become more of a factor this season, but until he proves it we won’t know. We’ve seen many players unable to expand their game past a certain level. Some stay as solid third pairing defenders for years, while others keep growing and taking on bigger minutes and become more of a factor night in and night out.

I’m rather bullish on Davidson. He’s had to overcome many hurdles to get here, testicular cancer being the biggest, and I think he’s capable of handling the pressure and ups and downs of NHL life. He’s very confident in his ability, and he is entering training camp expecting to be a positive contributor.

I could see Davidson on the second pair with Andrej Sekera. After watching Sekera play the right-side with Zdeno Chara at the World Cup, I’d like to see Davidson on the left with the veteran Sekera on the right. I’d rather Davidson be in the second pair than Mark Fayne at this point.

It would also mean Darnell Nurse could play with a veteran, Fayne, in the third pair to start.

I’m anticipating a strong season from Davidson, and if he’s improved his offensive zone instincts his role could grow even more.

What are you expectations of Davidson?

I don’t mind signing Kris Russell for one-year. It gives the Oilers more depth, and if the worst situation is Nurse and Griffin Reinhart start in the minors and then getting recalled when the inevitable injury occurs I’m okay with that. It also would add more competition to the roster. Maybe Nurse dominates and forces the coaches to keep him, there is nothing wrong with that either.

The Oilers blueline still doesn’t have a lot of experience, and while I believe Klefbom and Davidson will only get better, it might not happen for both this season. Adding Russell gives them more experience, and he was a dynamic offensive D-man in junior. He could help on both special teams, and if used in proper EV minutes a one-year deal makes sense to me.

I’d rather the Oilers have too many D-men in December, instead of hoping all of their young D-men play well and stay healthy. A one-year deal would be a decent insurance policy, and at the right price it wouldn’t hamper Peter Chiarelli from making some other moves during the season. However, I’d be surprised if the Oilers sign him.

I’d still sign Gryba over Russell, only because he’s a RD and I thought he played quite well in Edmonton last year. Plus, he’d be cheaper.

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