It';s a quiet mid-August afternoon for most clubs around the NHL, but the
Edmonton Oilers and their fanbase caught a bad break. The club announced that
defenseman Andrej Sekera will be out indefinitely after an off-season training
injury that resulted in a torn Achilles tendon. The 32-year-old is coming off
a 2017-18 season in which he missed 51 games due to a torn ACL. Here';s the
press release from the Oilers website:

"Oilers defenceman Andrej Sekera will be sidelined indefinitely following an
off-season injury, undergoing successful surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn
achilles tendon. Sekera, 32, posted eight points in 36 games on the blue-line
for the Oilers during an injury-shortened season in 2017-18 before posting a
goal and two assists in seven games with Slovakia at this year';s IIHF World
Championships in Denmark."

When Sekera rejoined Edmonton in late-December last season and averaged 16:20
in ice-time through 36 games. It was a significant drop from the 21:29 he
averaged in 2016-17 which took him from second-most utilized, to one of the
least used blueliners in the club. So now general manager Peter Chiarelli is
heading back to the drawing board. It would be wise of him not to repeat the
same mistake he made last summer when he failed to address the Sekera void with
 a significant addition.

Oilers Must Address Sekera Void This Time

Last summer the club was linked to guys cost-effective players like Cody
Franson and Jan Rutta. Both signed with the Chicago Blackhawks. Franson split
time between the NHL and AHL, while Rutta looked like a great signing. Neither
were world-beaters, but maybe Rutta, more so than a struggling Franson who';s
evidently on his last legs (no pun intended) in the league, would';ve helped
shore up the Oilers blueline last season.Related: The Oilers & Who';s Jan
Rutta?

With the season fast approaching, what will the Oilers do to address the Sekera
 void this time? Before the injury, Edmonton';s defense looked quite robust on
 the left side with Klefbom, Sekera, and Darnell Nurse being rolled out in
three different pairings. Internally there are a few options to take his place
 by one move or another which might result in Kris Russell sliding back over to
 the left side on the third-pairing.

Projecting Oilers 5v5 Defense Pairings Before Sekera Injury

Left Defense

Right Defense

Oscar Klefbom

Adam Larsson

Andrej Sekera

Kris Russell

Darnell Nurse

Matt Benning

Kevin Gravel*

Evan Bouchard*

There are also some less favorable options if you keep Russell on the right
side playing that No. 4-5 role he did last season. The Oilers expected too much
 from Russell early last year, and he was exposed. He';s a better fit for the
club in a No. 5 role, with the odd pinch hit as a No. 4.

Most patients who suffer an injury similar to Sekera are off their feet for six
 weeks. It';s after six weeks that most patients can be placed into a cast or
walking boot, and a "full recovery" takes around six months. How much of a
"full recovery" can you make from a torn Achilles and a torn ACL in
back-to-back years? That remains to be seen. The timetable places Sekera out of
 Edmonton';s lineup until mid-February.

He';d be missing (approximately) the first 55 games of the 2018-19 season. So
what does the club do?Internal Left Defense Options for Oilers

Kevin Gravel (LD) - Edmonton signed the 26-year-old to a one-year deal worth
$700,000 to compete for the club';s No. 7 job. He played just 14:02 last season
 over 14 games, had three points and got into one playoff game for the Los
Angeles Kings. Gravel himself is coming off some injury issues having gone
through Crohn';s Disease that caused him to lose 40 plus pounds at one point.
Now healthy, Gravel can compete for a No. 6 job, but he';s far from a full-time
 replacement for Sekera.

Keegan Lowe (LD) - This is a move that would likely get a collective groan from
 some fans, but believe it or not, Lowe was one of the Bakersfield Condors';
best all-around defenders in 2017-18. He logged a ton of minutes, played on the
 penalty kill, and was tasked with tough shutdown minutes against the
opposition';s best lines. The 25-year-old got into two games with the Oilers
last season and logged 13:54 in ice-time. He';s an option but was expected to
compete for the No. 7 job with Gravel.Who replaces Andrej Sekera? (Perry
Nelson-USA TODAY)

Caleb Jones (LD) - Jones has one year of pro hockey under his belt after
playing a top-four role in Bakersfield last season. He got better as the year
went on, and put up 17 points in an injury-shortened 52 game season. A healthy
Jones should take a natural progression in his overall two-way style that will
be on display with the Condors. His game isn';t at the level that you';d expect
 him to compete for a legitimate shot to start the year with the
Oilers.Related: William Lagesson Ready for North America

William Lagesson (LD) - Where one of Gravel or Lowe might be successful as a
No. 7 for the Oilers, one player that might be able to slide into Edmonton';s
lineup in that third-pairing on the left side might be Lagesson. He';s coming
off an incredible year with Djurgardens in Sweden that saw him play a No. 2
role while playing 19:27 in ice-time through 49 games.

He';s got a throwback take-no-prisoners style that reminds you of former Oilers
 captain Jason Smith. Having Lagesson focus on being a true shutdown defender
in the third-pair would allow the Oilers to increase the offensive
responsibilities for Klefbom, Nurse, and Matt Benning on the power play
(PP).Internal Right Defense Options for Oilers

Ethan Bear (RD) - Adding Bear to start the year with the club might help the
team replace some of that offense that was expected in a bounceback year from
Sekera. No Oilers defenseman, aside from Klefbom, averaged more time on the PP
last year than Bear during his 18-game audition with the team last
year.Related: Ethan Bear & Other Oilers Thoughts

Offensive upside aside, Bear was a disaster defensively and had to have his
zone starts and minutes heavily sheltered by the coaching staff. Another year
in the AHL might do him wonders to hone his overall game. He';s a nice re-call
for a few games, but not a solution through 55 games at this point.

Joel Persson (RD) - When the Oilers signed Persson from the SHL in May, they
did so with the notion that he';d be loaned to the Vaxjo Lakers for the 2018-19
 season. Edmonton does have re-call rights and the ability to transplant him to
 North America should they choose. Maybe Chiarelli comes calling saying his
services are required in Edmonton this season instead of Vaxjo.Related: Oilers
Joel Persson & Where He Fits

He';s a dynamic offensive defenseman who could step into the lineup and
quarterback the second PP unit. Persson put up an astonishing 34 points in 54
games on a stacked Vaxjo team that won a league championship last season. As
mentioned above, any of these internal right defense options would require
someone to shift over to the left side (likely Russell).Oilers Being Forced to
"Rush" Evan Bouchard?

Looking at the internal depth chart and what';s likely, suddenly pre-season and
 camp have become very interesting on the backend. Before the Sekera injury,
the defense was practically set on paper with Klefbom, Larsson, Nurse, Benning,
 Sekera, and Russell getting top-six minutes, while Gravel and Lowe competed
for the No. 7. Evan Bouchard was pegged to get a long look in camp that
might';ve led to a nine-game audition.Related: Edmonton Oilers Top 10 Prospects

Now with the injury to Sekera, you';re suddenly looking at the field opening up
 and having Gravel, Lowe, Jones, Lagesson, Bear, Persson, and Bouchard
competing for minutes. It';ll be interesting what happens in camp internally.
It now looks like the inevitable might happen; Chiarelli and the Oilers are
being forced to potentially rush an 18-year-old Bouchard into the NHL based off
 necessity.Oilers forced to rush Evan Bouchard? (Amy Irvin / The Hockey
Writers)

It';s not the best move from a developmental standpoint when you were looking
to have Bouchard have his nine-game cup of coffee, then go back to a stacked
London Knights squad in the OHL, compete in a staring role for Canada at the
upcoming World Juniors, make a deep playoff run, and maybe a short stint with
the Condors to end the year. The Sekera injury just injected the Oilers with a
dose of reality, and that means the simple plan that was etched out for
Bouchard might be scrapped.

Whether by hell or high water, Chiarelli';s predictable fashion as a GM and his
 history with the club shows he might stand pat. On one side of the coin,
Bouchard was likely going to get a nine-game audition anyways, on the other
side, if he plays more than nine outings, Chiarelli burns a year off his
entry-level contract (ELC). On a positive note, of all the puck-movers in the
system, Bouchard has the highest offensive upside and could be used on the
PP.Evan Bouchard (Terry Wilson / OHL Images)

Is it the worst thing in the world to protect his zone starts with leniency
towards the offensive zone and PP? Probably not, but you';re robbing Peter to
pay Paul in a sense because you';re creating a hole amongst the veterans and
tasking the group of Klefbom, Larsson, Nurse, and Russell to take on those
penalty kill minutes. There';s no break for Klefbom and Nurse who will also be
tasked with PP time.

So for this Bouchard plan to work, Klefbom and Nurse have to be the club';s top
 two defensemen next season. They';ll also need Larsson and Russell to step up
big time defensively as this club looks to improve their special teams in both
aspects in hopes of shoring up something that was an absolute disaster in
2017-18.Trade, Free Agency & PTO Options

It';d probably be wiser for the club to go with more of a sure thing than to
gamble on Bouchard throughout the potential 55 game absence by Sekera. Then
again you genuinely don';t know what you have until you see what happens.
That';s why the most likely thing that happens is that the Oilers will try
their hand with the current group plus Bouchard to start the year. Expect them
to shelter him and hope he fairs better than Bear did late last season.

Projecting Oilers 5v5 Defense Pairings With Sekera';s Injury

Left Defense

Right Defense

Oscar Klefbom

Adam Larsson

Darnell Nurse

Matt Benning

Kris Russell

Evan Bouchard

x - Kevin Gravel

x - Keegan Lowe

The best internal options for the Oilers might be amongst the trio of Bouchard,
 Persson, and Lagesson to step right into the NHL, with the rest of them
starting the year in Bakersfield. Externally you';re looking into the same
Justin Faulk trade with the Carolina Hurricanes that has been talked about at
nauseam for the past two seasons. Faulk, 26, comes with a $4.83 cap hit and is
currently penciled in on the Hurricanes third-pairing.Related: Edmonton Oilers
Salary Cap Information

Maybe Edmonton';s cap relief from moving Sekera onto long-term injured reserve
(LTIR) creates an opportunity for this trade to finally take place. Tyson
Barrie has been linked to the club for quite some time as well. How about
Colton Parayko again? The problem is that once Sekera is back (if he comes
back), the Oilers are in a salary cap crunch and someone will have to go. Think
 Sekera has much value playing on one leg at half the abilities he had before?
Didn';t think so.Justin Faulk (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

You';re back to looking at economical additions for this club which means free
agency and professional tryout offers (PTO). Tobias Enstrom, Paul Martin, and
Jason Garrison are three notables that are still available. Alexei Emelin and
Luca Sbisa might draw some interest. Emelin was within the top ten defensemen
in the Western Conference for hits last season.Related: Five Players Worth an
Oilers PTO

Sbisa had a surprising offensive year for the Vegas Golden Knights that
would';ve led the Oilers in scoring amongst defense. Maybe the Oilers once
again go down the Brandon Davidson path and bring him back to the club on a
one-year deal or PTO. Either way, it';s slim pickings at this point. So out of
necessity the most likely scenario (to the chagrin of some) is the Oilers
starting the year with Bouchard in the lineup.

The post Oilers Options to Replace Sekera on Defense appeared first on The
Hockey Writers.

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