Oilers Could Still Add A Defenseman

The Edmonton Oilers could still be looking to add a defenseman despite signing John Klingberg just last week (as per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). Klingberg signed on for the remainder of the season and could provide some offense from the backend depending on his health and how quickly he can get up to game speed.

With that need taken care of, Edmonton may be looking to fill out their defensive depth with a player who provides more of a shutdown skillset and comes with the ability to kill penalties. As LeBrun points out, Edmonton ‘s penalty kill is in the top five in the NHL since November, so the need isn’t an urgent one, however, given how many defenseman teams require in the playoffs, the Oilers feel it may be best to add to their depth.

Injuries in the playoffs can always change the dynamic of a series, and while Edmonton feels that have a solid seven skaters to fill out their defense core, one or two injuries could shake that belief. Teams that have won the Stanley Cup recently have had 8-10 NHL defensemen on their roster on average and have generally relied on all of them due to the unpredictability in the playoffs. Injuries piled up early in last year’s playoffs, and while Edmonton was fairly lucky in that regard on their way to winning the Western Conference, they can’t count on the same luck this season if they hope to get back to the Stanley Cups Finals.