The Best Defenseman in the Taylor Hall Era

One thing that I noticed as the season moved forward was a segment of fans turning against the Oilers’ core. A lot of you guys are blaming the core for the lack of success around here, and I’m not going to disagree with you (that’s an article for another day), but I did want to show you another side to the story.

Listed below is every defenseman, that I could find, that has played minutes for the Edmonton Oilers since Taylor Hall was drafted in the summer of 2010. What you’ll see is a list that is borderline embarrassing, ripe full of underachievers, number eight defenseman, and ghosts from the KHL. The list really is an indictment of the garbage heap that previous management regimes were willing to put on the ice. Either they had no ability to evaluate professional talent (DING!), or they were intentionally tanking the past six years. Icing a backend full of these guys, and expecting them to keep the puck out of the next, is a recipe for last place every single time.

After you’ve voted, I ask that you leave a comment below and tell me that you still TRULY believe that all bad things that have happened to the Edmonton Oilers is the core’s fault. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that those guys should be free of blame or criticism, but I am saying that they’re not the turd in the punchbowl that is this whole mess. Frankly, it doesn’t matter how good your forwards are if you can’t get the puck out of your own zone. Do the $6 million players have to take some blame for the continually basement seat? Of course they do, but blaming everything on the team’s most productive players doesn’t make any sense after seeing the list we’re voting on. I think we found the real problem.

Thoughts? Anyone I missed?