Yahoo Sports Oilers Reportedly Looking For New Nurse Partner
Even as training camp rolls on, Stan Bowman isn't done trying to improve his team.
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Despite the addition of Travis Dermott on a PTO, Oilers insider Bob Stauffer reported on Saturday that the Oilers are still keeping an eye on the defenceman market.
Great to see the @EdmontonOilers key Management people and HC Kris Knoblauch all in Penticton.
Fully expect the Oilers to be in the market for a 2nd pairing RD...at some point...
Preferably with a little term left...— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) September 15, 2024
This isn't exactly new, as the Oilers have been linked to right-handed defensemen all summer in their quest to find a new partner for Darnell Nurse. Still, Stauffer's report shows that they're not content to sit tight and wait until the deadline.
Now that we have a rough timeline for Evander Kane's return to the lineup, we have a better picture of the Oilers' salary cap situation, as well. Given that Kane should return before Christmas, you can take full-season LTIR off the table, leaving the Oilers with very little money to work with. Any trade for a defenceman will have to be a money-in, money-out situation.
With all that being said, let's take one last pre-season look at some trade candidates:
Rasmus Andersson, 27
We'll start at the top of most Oilers fans' wishlists, with a Battle of Alberta opponent. After putting up excellent on-ice numbers the previous two seasons, Andersson's play cratered last season, with the Flames only scoring 45% of the goals with him on the ice. According to The Athletic's model, Andersson created plenty of offence, but gave it all back in his own end.
As a mid-sized puck mover with a notable mean streak, the best version of Andersson would be huge on the Oilers' second pair, especially with a similar player like Nurse. But if last year's numbers were the sign of a decline and not just playing on a bad team, a Nurse-Andersson pairing could quickly become a disastrous combination of turnovers and bad penalties.
With two years left at a $4.55 million cap hit, Andersson provides good value, but would take a lot of creativity to fit under the salary cap. Considering the difficulty of trading with a rival like Calgary and the risk that Nurse and Andersson could exacerbate each other's issues, he's likely a poor fit in Edmonton.
Artem Zub, 28
Zub presents an interesting statistical case. Per MoneyPuck, his career on-ice numbers are underwhelming, with the Senators consistently performing better when he's on the bench. But when you look at The Athletic's numbers, Zub grades out as a very good defensive defenceman who's constantly undone by poor goaltending.
One of those players is an ideal partner for Darnell Nurse: a steady, no-frills shutdown defenceman who can hold down the back end while Nurse focuses on offence and clearing the net front. On the other hand, the player presented by MoneyPuck is a middling defender with no puck skills putting up bad numbers on a bad team.
Artem Zub, signed to a 4x$4.6M extension by OTT, is a second-pair defensive defenceman who doesn't do much with the puck but also isn't asked to. Particularly good rush defender, although he takes more penalties than you'd like. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/7Rhc6WDchf
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 21, 2022
I'm inclined to believe that Zub is more of the first player, and would look great next to Nurse, especially with his ability to defend the rush. But with three years left at $4.6 million, you'd better be sure that you're right about that if you're the Oilers.
Dante Fabbro, 26
Fabbro has been linked to the Oilers more than almost any other player this summer, and for good reason. For one, he's cheap, at only $2.5 million, and under team control as an RFA after this season. Second, and more importantly, he's pretty good.
It's been an up-and-down career for the 2016 first-round pick, but last year in Nashville he put up the best numbers of his career. After struggling mightily in 2022-23, Fabbro put up a very impressive expected goals% of 53.8 last season. He wasn't just riding the coattails of Roman Josi, either. While he did play the majority of his minutes with Nashville's best player, he actually put up even better numbers next to Jeremy Lauzon, who suffice it to say is not Roman Josi.
His numbers at The Athletic were good as well, showing him as having a positive impact on both sides of the ice. While he can't offer Andersson's upside, he's much cheaper and carries better recent results. If the Oilers can make room for his cap hit and get him extended, Fabbro would be an excellent addition to the defence corps.
Dante Fabbro, signed to a 1x$2.5M extension by NSH, is a two-way defenceman who's showed some skill with the puck but has had his minutes cut this season. #Preds pic.twitter.com/s0iCLHfhyZ
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 3, 2023
There are of course other options out there, such as Seattle's Will Borgen, Buffalo's Henri Jokiharju, and Toronto's Conor Timmins, but they're clearly backup targets. The Oilers are in win-now mode, and can't afford to head into the season with such a massive question mark on the second pair. And after all, there's a reason they've been linked to these players all summer long.
While Zub would be a very nice addition and Andersson would make a splash and add upside, Fabbro seems like the best option. Relatively cheap, with team control (albeit without cost certainty), and coming off a good season on a surprise playoff team. If Stan Bowman is serious about adding a second pair defenceman before the season, calling up Barry Trotz in Nashville might be his best chance.
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