The #Oilers have acquired defenceman Chris Wideman from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2020 conditional 6th round draft pick. pic.twitter.com/Yyk8DPLJpP
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 22, 2018
What do we know about Wideman? Well, he’s a right-handed defenceman who was drafted by the Sens in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL draft. He’s played in 175 games for Ottawa over parts over four seasons and has put up 43 points. Though he hasn’t really put up points at the NHL level, he’s an offensive-minded defenseman who makes a good pass and can be effective on the power play. An issue for Wideman is that he was trapped behind Erik Karlsson in an offensive role on the Sens.
We also know he was in the front seat for the infamous Uber ride in Ottawa.
— Capital Gains (@Capital_Gains65) November 22, 2018
This gives Edmonton another righty defenceman to play on the bottom pairing. As of right now, the team is operating with Klefbom and Larsson as their top pair, Darnell Nurse and Kris Russell on the second pair, and Kevin Gravel and Matt Benning on the third. Wideman can push Benning for ice time and likely see some power play time on the second unit.
Another thing worth mentioning, this doesn’t bode well for Ethan Bear. We all assumed that Bear would get a recall as soon as Evan Bouchard went back to the OHL, but it hasn’t happened. Acquiring an offensive-minded righty likely means the Oilers don’t believe Bear is ready to help the team this year.
Edmonton will now have to make a decision as to which defenceman, Jason Garrison or Kevin Gravel, remains on the roster unless they want to carry eight defenders.
Oilers acquire D-and Chris Wideman from Senators for 6th round pick. This is pick Oilers received from the Blues for Jerabek. #Oilers
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) November 22, 2018
WIDEMAN’S CAREER SO FAR
Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015-16 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 64 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 34 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
2016-17 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 76 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 46 | 7 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
2017-18 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — |
2018-19 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 19 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | -9 | |||||
NHL Totals | 175 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 98 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Source: Edmonton Oilers, Official Account, 11/22/2018 – 3:20 pm MST