Disaster in the making

Once again, Hockey Buzz comes through with a nifty article, this time on how the Oilers blue-line looks.

"The key to concentrate on here is potential. The reason people question the defense is because about most of the d-men are not NHL veterans. Some question the ability of Smith and Staios to be ‘#1 or #2’ defensemen. They aren’t in the typical sense. But, as Carolina and Buffalo showed us, defense by committee can work. The Oilers don’t have a stud on the back end any more, but I submit that they don’t need one to be successful." - Dan Tencer

Fair enough, you can make the case that a team doesn't need a stud to be successful (Carolina's defense corps was literally the worst I'd ever seen get that far in the playoffs by a wide, wide margin. Brett Hedican? BRETT HEDICAN? Nuff Said), but isn't it the case that by far the most successful teams have one or more? Yeah, I know I'm a killjoy.

Here's how he puts the Oilers brigade together;

1. Jason Smith
2. Steve Staios
3. Daniel Tjarnqvist
4. Matt Greene
5. Jan Heyda
6. M.A. Bergeron
7. Ladislav Smid

Now, I know he's got access to the Oilers and that means it will be crap where you live, but this blue-line is just not good, and it is one vent of pure sunshine that Mr. Tencer expectorates.

Jason Smith is just a younger version of Ken Daneyko. Which is good if you are looking for a team captain, someone to block shots all game long, a willing pugilist when linemates are bullied, a grinder, a good guy in the locker room, or in a street brawl with bouncers at 2:00 am - he's your guy. He's the kind of player whose jersey goes to the rafters after 10 years or more of bleeding on the ice every day dedication.

But a top 2 defenseman on a Cup team? No.

A #5-6 FUNHL defender? Sure.

But you take him.

Think about where Jason Smith would fit on the bluelines of other teams - and then convince me he's a #2.

Steve Staios. Every year like clockwork, 25 pts because of generous ice-time. A nice, safe, #4 on most teams, he's a typical #8 in the FUNHL. WD scrabble. If I were an Oilers fan, the day Staios stops taking minutes on the blue-line is a reason to think the defense corps is getting better. I once suggested he would be a top tier AHL guy. I still think I'm right.

Daniel Tjarnqvist. The Jonas Hoglund of defensemen.

Matt Grene. In the future, the Oilers project him out as a Jason Smith type. So your #4 defenseman is someone you project will one day be a good #3 ? Nice.

Jan Heyda. He's a Euro vet, is cheap, and speaks the same languages as Petr Sykora. Reminds me of Bykov in Detroit. Who? Exactly - his impact was so impressive he's back over in the Euros.

MA Bergeron. I actually think the kid is getting kind of a raw deal if this list holds true (I have him behind Smith), but maybe he does turn out to be just a powerplay specialist.

Ladislav Smid - by all accounts a very decent prospect with exceptional talents. He'll make an excellent FUNHL prospect pick, my guess, third roundish.

All in all, the D in Edm is an achilles heel begging for an arrow.