If defence makes champions...where do we stand?

Seems the Oilers defence is having an identity crisis.

Two veterans and a bunch of green kids with barely any NHL experience doesn't give the team much of a chance of surviving very long. Staios and Smith have played admirably this year, but they're in over their heads playing huge minutes. Even were we to make the playoffs (its a huge stretch, humor me), would they have anything left in the tank to make any kind of run? This of course is not including Daniel Tjarnqvist, he's had a wealth of injury trouble this year and, while he's played decently when healthy, he's just not fit enough at this point in time.

Question, has the sophomore slump hit Matt Greene, or is this the best he's got? Personally, i don't see Greene being any higher than a 5th/6th defenceman in the NHL, he doesn't have the needed speed for the NHL game. He seems to be holding his own on the PK, but is still putting up as many turnovers as Bergeron, and where's he now? Run out of town by the Oiler faithful. How long until a similar fate falls on the hulking American rearguard?

Jan Hejda's been a pleasant surprise on an otherwise disappointing season on the blueline. Jan is constantly playing upwards of 20-24 minutes per game and is seeing the hard minutes against the top lines with Jason Smith, and has had great success on the penalty kill.

Everybody seems to be down and out on Ladi Smid already, and i don't think this is justifiable. The kid's just turned 21, he's got too much responsibility playing top4 icetime for a rookie. He looks good playing with Staios, but shouldn't be seeing more than 16-18 minutes. It'd be better for his development to see 3rd pairing icetime for the bulk of the season, but that didn't pan out. I forsee him as our puck-moving defenceman within two years, he's got an effortless stride and consistantly hits the tape to the forwards in full stride and has shown brief flashes of offensive potential, but as i've said, he's 21, give him time.

And then there's the rest who've seen NHL action this year. Roy got the first game this year i believe, and has impressed me with his ability to stand up for his teammates when the need has arisen. Positionally he's been sound in his limited minutes and has bulged the twine at the same rate as Greene in about a quarter of his games played. Gilbert was next up for his debut. He was also impressive in limited minutes and has been dominant for WBS in the AHL this year, he's been probably their best defenceman throughout the year. Dan Syvret was dominant on a powerhouse London Knights during his junior days, but is going to be hard pressed to get minutes if the veterans get healthy anytime soon. A solid puckmover, but is prone to mental cramps a la MAB, only younger. He could develop into yet another 3rd pair defenceman, man we've got a crop of these.

Prospects: From what i've heard on LT's blog, Denis Grebeskov is looking at top4 minutes next year, hopefully he can bring his game over from the Russian league. Junior/Collegiate prospects include Taylor Chorney and Jeff Petry, who should be a couple years away given the depth the team has right now. Chorney might have the ability to leave University this year and join the Oiler's AHL affiliate...but we don't have one, go figure. Wonder why the prospects aren't developing to their potential...

Looking forward to next year, with the talent we have currently, i don't see Edmonton making a playoff push unless Greene, Smid, Grebeskov and Gilbert can take their game to the next level really quickly. A top pair defenceman should be high on Lowe's to-do list in the offseason, but probably won't materialize because of glaring needs in other areas. This again leaves Staios and Smith playing over their abilities. Looking towards the future, i'd be fine with seeing a second-tier defenceman for a couple years, someone who can play top4 minutes like Tjarnqvist was expected to this year until he got injured, before we can make a push for a real difference maker. Hejda's proven himself as a top4 defender for Edmonton, and needs to be resigned.

In a realistic world, Hejda and Smith make up the shutdown pairing, Staios and a free agent signing or trade would fill our need for an offensive pairing, giving Grebeskov and Smid the easier minutes to help in their development. Matt Greene as our 7th man in case we need a physical presence, rotating with Smid and Grebeskov as needed, with Gilbert as the first callup in an injury situation.