The Edmonton Oilers don’t have much room for players to compete for roster spots. On defence, Ty Emberson will likely play on the second pair alongside Darnell Nurse to start the season. Therefore, the only legitimate competition is on the third-pair, right side with Brett Kulak. With the departures of Vincent Desharnais and Cody Ceci, someone will need to step up, and there are three potential candidates likely to fill that role come opening night.
Travis Dermott
Travis Dermott signed a professional tryout (PTO) with the Oilers before training camp. He has 329 NHL games under his belt, including 50 with the Arizona Coyotes last season. He is least likely to make the opening-night roster as the sixth defenceman, even if he outplays the other candidates. This is largely because he shoots left. If Dermott makes the team as the sixth defenceman, he will be forced to play on his off-side, which is an uncomfortable transition for most players. Therefore, the fit is not there.
Related: Oilers Reportedly Considering Adding Travis Dermott on PTO
However, if the Oilers sign him, he will be a great depth piece for the left side in case of injuries. The Oilers’ left-side blue line is incredibly thin. Outside of Mattias Ekholm, Nurse and Kulak, the next man on the depth chart is Ben Gleason. Gleason has only played four NHL games in his career and none since the 2018-2019 season. Adding Dermott will provide more experience and depth to the left side as the team’s seventh or eighth defenceman.
Troy Stecher
Troy Stecher inked a two-year extension with the Oilers this offseason. He was acquired from the Coyotes at the trade deadline but only appeared in seven games for his new team. Stecher is the safe, most familiar option, having been with the organization since March. He’s a bit under-sized at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, but he has a knack for winning puck battles and using his quickness to break the puck out. However, the 30-year-old journeyman needs to show more in the preseason to win a permanent spot on the roster. There is a spot available – he just needs to grab it.
Josh Brown
Josh Brown was signed to a three-year deal with a cap hit of $1 million this summer. He is the favourite to win this coveted roster spot, according to Bob Stauffer. Stauffer mentioned this during the Oilers’ radio broadcast on Sunday afternoon against the Winnipeg Jets. He is well-connected within the organization, and anything he says should be considered valid.
Brown has had a disappointing training camp to this point. He had a brutal turnover against the Calgary Flames that directly led to the Flames’ fifth goal in a 6-1 defeat on Monday night. He is also a minus-2 in his two games. Brown is a big boy, at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. However, he does not use his size effectively. He has not been tough or strong in the corners and has not been able to break the puck out efficiently. So far, there are no redeeming qualities to his game, so it’s surprising that the organization gave him a three-year deal. The Oilers are still looking for a serviceable third-pair, right-shot defenseman because Brown is not the guy.
The Oilers have a problem. Dermott, Stecher, nor Brown have shown enough to warrant an opportunity on that third pair. They have all struggled against primarily American Hockey League (AHL) competition, so how will they fare against NHL talent? None of these players have stepped up so far in camp, and it’s a huge problem.
The ideal situation would be to acquire a second-pairing defenceman to play alongside Nurse while moving Emberson to the third-pair. However, that is easier said than done, and it’s unlikely such a player will surface until closer to the trade deadline while they accrue cap space from the Evander Kane injury.
For now, the Oilers have to play one of these players until they can find a more permanent solution. None of them have shown they can handle this position full-time, so don’t be surprised if the Oilers utilize both Stecher and Brown in this spot until they can find an upgrade. This is the Oilers’ biggest question mark heading into the regular season.
