Player Discussion Kris Russell (Do we need him next year?)

[Aceboogie]

Speaking over Russell. The game versus Florida I saw the first ever shot block in the offensive zone Russell rushed the puck in and was down by the goal line when Florida D got it. Russell dove to block the pass/dump out. It was funny to see but I admire the heart

 

[copper_blue]

Yes we do.

 

[Blue Line Turnover]

Finding good D-men for the right side in this league is like trying to...(I can't think of anything).

 

[Jeff Lebowski]

Yes, we need him. I don't think we'd be sitting in a playoff spot without him this season. He's been great.

 

[Mr Positive]

Yes, we need him. I don't think we'd be sitting in a playoff spot without him this season. He's been great.

so weird considering he was like the black sheep of free agency and couldn't find a home

 

[nexttothemoon]

Would people's opinions on keeping Russell change if they knew Davidson was definitely going to be chosen by Vegas?

Let's say there's a 90% chance Davidson is selected by Vegas... and Russell isn't re-signed.

Here's the remaining depth:

Klefbom-Larsson
Sekera-Benning
Nurse-Oesterle/Reinhart/Gryba/Fayne

With a fully healthy roster you basically have to count on Benning BEING a top 4 dman going forward. Really no room for regressions or slumps.

One of Oesterle/Reinhart/Gryba/Fayne/Simpson/etc are in the lineup every single game.

Then take into account even 1 injury to Klefbom/Larsson/Sekera and the situation starts looking more dire very quickly and we're back to having dmen playing big minutes well above their heads every night once again.

I know most will say... ya but Chiarelli will add someone in a trade/UFA signing to help out on D... but that's a hypothetical as well. Someone they add (that's actually helpful) won't be signed for peanuts either and will likely want term as well.

Add in the fact that we already know what we have in Russell. He's played in the West and at a minimum we know he makes this defense better. You can't necessarily say that for a new dman they acquire... they may mesh well and be good... or be a dud as well (like Fayne/Ference).

This just seems like a bird in the hand type situation. Don't go dumping a decent asset thinking that there's something better out there that can be obtained because that isn't always the case.

The fact that this player wants to be in Alberta can't be overstated as well. Having a preference to play here is a positive factor rather than another player who may/may not be happy here for the entire term of their contract. We've obviously seen quite a few players come here and want out after a short time.

 

[VainGretzky]

so weird considering he was like the black sheep of free agency and couldn't find a home

I think he had other offers and Oilers is who he wanted to play for. He is a western boy .

 

[TheNumber4]

At one point in the year I though Russell was our best D. But Sekera, Klefbom, and to a lesser degree Larsson have surpassed him. Which is good news. That being said he rounded out our top 4 this year. He is an above average #4 which we absolutely need.

That being said, an upgrade on him is still possible. Someone that has his veteran calmness that brings more offence and maybe more size should be the goal.

Russell is Plan B unless he proves to be the best #4 RHD available which might be the case.

 

[Tom Collins]

I'm not ready to move on from Russell. I think he adds a good deal of stability to our backend, and would like to see him re-signed for a couple seasons, barring prohibitive demands from the player.

It's not that I don't think one of Benning/Nurse/Davidson will emerge as a bonafide top-4 dman in the next two years, but I don't want to start back down the path of "hope they don't regress at all" as a roster management strategy. How well has that worked for us in the past?

 

[Oilception]

We either have to sign Russell (after the expansion draft) or sign/trade for another Dman (Still hoping for Shattenkirk even though I know its a pipe dream) because I dont have that much faith in Benning and I dont want Oesterle or Gryba or Simpson playing daily

 

[dookers9]

I'm not ready to move on from Russell. I think he adds a good deal of stability to our backend, and would like to see him re-signed for a couple seasons, barring prohibitive demands from the player.

It's not that I don't think one of Benning/Nurse/Davidson will emerge as a bonafide top-4 dman in the next two years, but I don't want to start back down the path of "hope they don't regress at all" as a roster management strategy. How well has that worked for us in the past?

He was a beast for us last night against the Ducks. He hit, squeezed guys out of plays along the boards, had a great stick, was positionally sound, obviously was once again a shot-blocking machine, and made great quick plays when with the puck behind our goal line. And I remember him playing well against Calgary too.

Seems to me that when we were rolling along at the beginning of the year, so was he. He was one of the key reasons we had such stability in our zone. When we slumped soon afterward, so was he slumping. We're on a win streak, playing as we had at the beginning...so is he. I see a correlation here. It's easy to say that the team's players in general wil be playing well when the team does, and vice versa, but Russell has struck me as a particularly key part of both our highs and lows so far. Remarkable influence for Mr Nobody in the off-season.

I won't want the Russell that was giving pucks away and making poor positional choices from not long ago...but I think we're crazy to pass on a solid RH3/4D if one is staring us in the face and presumably wants to remain in Oilers silks.

But for the bolded.

 

[Pointteen]

With the last couple of wins and seeing Russell stay on the ice after getting blasted with that shot, I think I am ready to say re-sign him right after the draft. Entry Draft, not expansion.

The gumption he had to stay out there AND make a fantastic poke to keep the Ducks scoreless speaks volumes. We need that kind of jam and dedication to rub off.

 

[dookers9]

Would people's opinions on keeping Russell change if they knew Davidson was definitely going to be chosen by Vegas?

Let's say there's a 90% chance Davidson is selected by Vegas... and Russell isn't re-signed.

Here's the remaining depth:

Klefbom-Larsson
Sekera-Benning
Nurse-Oesterle/Reinhart/Gryba/Fayne

With a fully healthy roster you basically have to count on Benning BEING a top 4 dman going forward. Really no room for regressions or slumps.

One of Oesterle/Reinhart/Gryba/Fayne/Simpson/etc are in the lineup every single game.

Then take into account even 1 injury to Klefbom/Larsson/Sekera and the situation starts looking more dire very quickly and we're back to having dmen playing big minutes well above their heads every night once again.

I know most will say... ya but Chiarelli will add someone in a trade/UFA signing to help out on D... but that's a hypothetical as well. Someone they add (that's actually helpful) won't be signed for peanuts either and will likely want term as well.

Add in the fact that we already know what we have in Russell. He's played in the West and at a minimum we know he makes this defense better. You can't necessarily say that for a new dman they acquire... they may mesh well and be good... or be a dud as well (like Fayne/Ference).

This just seems like a bird in the hand type situation. Don't go dumping a decent asset thinking that there's something better out there that can be obtained because that isn't always the case.

The fact that this player wants to be in Alberta can't be overstated as well. Having a preference to play here is a positive factor rather than another player who may/may not be happy here for the entire term of their contract. We've obviously seen quite a few players come here and want out after a short time.

Seems to me in this situation - again, assuming Davidson is gone - you want Russell tied up for a few so you can pair him with Sekera and let Nurse continue to develop with whomever that #6 is (could easily be someone new from outside the org). That remains a solid top 4 core.

But fantasizing for just a moment...were we to re-sign Russell AND somehow Davidson were to be overlooked by Vegas...?

Larsson-Klef
Sekera-Russell
Nurse-Davidson

You kidding me? We've rarely known what it's like to have a D core worthy of respect, but I'd believe it that fo sho.

Gotta wake up.

 

[Aceboogie]

Would people's opinions on keeping Russell change if they knew Davidson was definitely going to be chosen by Vegas?

Let's say there's a 90% chance Davidson is selected by Vegas... and Russell isn't re-signed.

Here's the remaining depth:

Klefbom-Larsson
Sekera-Benning
Nurse-Oesterle/Reinhart/Gryba/Fayne

With a fully healthy roster you basically have to count on Benning BEING a top 4 dman going forward. Really no room for regressions or slumps.

One of Oesterle/Reinhart/Gryba/Fayne/Simpson/etc are in the lineup every single game.

Then take into account even 1 injury to Klefbom/Larsson/Sekera and the situation starts looking more dire very quickly and we're back to having dmen playing big minutes well above their heads every night once again.

I know most will say... ya but Chiarelli will add someone in a trade/UFA signing to help out on D... but that's a hypothetical as well. Someone they add (that's actually helpful) won't be signed for peanuts either and will likely want term as well.

Add in the fact that we already know what we have in Russell. He's played in the West and at a minimum we know he makes this defense better. You can't necessarily say that for a new dman they acquire... they may mesh well and be good... or be a dud as well (like Fayne/Ference).

This just seems like a bird in the hand type situation. Don't go dumping a decent asset thinking that there's something better out there that can be obtained because that isn't always the case.

The fact that this player wants to be in Alberta can't be overstated as well. Having a preference to play here is a positive factor rather than another player who may/may not be happy here for the entire term of their contract. We've obviously seen quite a few players come here and want out after a short time.

Theres other UFA D. And for past 2 seasons weve had atleats 1 break out D (Davidson last year, Benning this year- Nurse as well but thats expected). Next well have 4 emerging young D. I dont think its outlandish to expect 1 of them to emerge like Davidson or Benning have. I mean even the least hyped one, Osterle, had success in NHL for 17 games

That D core you posted above would have 1 rookie.

We dont have to put all our eggs in a Russell basket, there is other alternatives. Can go with UFA/trade or promote internally

 

[Aceboogie]

Seems to me in this situation - again, assuming Davidson is gone - you want Russell tied up for a few so you can pair him with Sekera and let Nurse continue to develop with whomever that #6 is (could easily be someone new from outside the org). That remains a solid top 4 core.

But fantasizing for just a moment...were we to re-sign Russell AND somehow Davidson were to be overlooked by Vegas...?

Larsson-Klef
Sekera-Russell
Nurse-Davidson

You kidding me? We've rarely known what it's like to have a D core worthy of respect, but I'd believe it that fo sho.

Gotta wake up.

Thats a solid D core forsure. But you are slotting Russell in 2nd pairing RD. Benning is legit a right D, hes proving to be legit, and hed be WAY more cost efficetive. There is legit no way Id give Russell a spot over Benning next year. Nil, nadda, not a chance. We have something in Benning and we need to develop him. Hes already succeeding in the NHL in his 3rd pairing role. No way id bump him to AHL and completely stunt that growth just to put a similar D, but way older and more expensive, on his offside, in that role

 

[Musashi]

Theres other UFA D. And for past 2 seasons weve had atleats 1 break out D (Davidson last year, Benning this year- Nurse as well but thats expected). Next well have 4 emerging young D. I dont think its outlandish to expect 1 of them to emerge like Davidson or Benning have. I mean even the least hyped one, Osterle, had success in NHL for 17 games

That D core you posted above would have 1 rookie.

We dont have to put all our eggs in a Russell basket, there is other alternatives. Can go with UFA/trade or promote internally

Russell was a helluva soldier out there last night. That 4-0 lead allowed us to spread the ice time around on the backend and we got to see how our bottom pairing looked with more ice time. The circumstances of the game surely factored in the 3rd but I thought the increased role we gave the bottom pairing hampered their game quite a bit and caused them to struggle with turnovers and getting the puck out.

Still, that's a great learning experience for Benning and Davidson against a good club and hopefully we can see more of that down the stretch to see if they can have some success in those roles.

Until we see that success though, replacing Russell's minutes internally should be plan C behind resigning Russ if we can't find a better replacement through FA or trade. Plan C should only happen if Russell out prices what Chia thinks is acceptable.

 

[ujju2]

I'm changing my opinion. If we lose Davidson, I sign Russell. But only 2 years max. Can't have another Smid type contract (we were lucky to move him before the injuries hit).

 

[Red Deer Rebel]

Russell has been an ideal partner for Sekera, and is part of the reason Sekera looks more effective this year.

Last night, the Ducks couldn't establish much of a forecheck against Russell, because his puck retrievals on dump-ins are so good - the best on the team IMO.

He simply wins races back to our end, vacuums up the puck, schools the forechecker, and makes the right play just about every time. He does turn it over once in awhile, but compared to the D we've seen get owned on this team, he has been a godsend.

Davidson in no way can play at his level. He just doesn't skate as well, nor does he have the hockey sense that Russell has.

I'll be choked if we let Russell walk and try to replace his minutes with Davidson or Benning. Ten years in the lottery is long enough.

 

[Debonair]

I'd like to keep him but max I'd go is 3 years $10.5M total - 3.5/year

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I wouldn't commit long term to him, but there's zero doubt he's been a major stabilizing force on the backend this season. With how good (especially for how young) the defence is this season, I wouldn't be opposed to keeping the unit together. Also with no real high priced defenceman, that means this team can invest more in keeping it's forwards together.


For me though, it comes down to two factors: 1) do they lose Davidson, and 2) how does Nurse preform down the stretch. If he continues to progress, he brings a lot of the same positives as Russell: good defencively, high end skating, and a willingness to go get in front of a train for the team.


Klefbom-Larsson
Sekera-Russell/Nurse
Nurse/Davidson-Benning
Reinhart, Oesterle, Fayne

I'm happy with that for next year

 

[easternrefugee]

I do not see any one on the Oil roster today willing to make the massive amount of shot blocks that he does. I think I heard one of the news people stating that he was #2 in the NHL for shot blocking. I have yet to see anyone willingly take that kind of attitude and stay on the ice when he is obviously in a great deal of pain. When he did get off the ice he went onto the bench. he did not go to the locker room. This kid plays solid defense and then sum. Not every dman needs to be an offensive one. He plays his role well and no one seems to want to want to take his place any time soon. If they did they would be blocking the same amount of shots as he does EVERY night and not just once in a while.

 

[Stoneman89]

Oilers outshot in a winning effort once again. Wonder if anyone has stats on Talbots record when facing more shots than the other goalie?

 

[JayE]

It depends on the money, but we don't have a guy that can play the right side who can replace him in a top 4 role at the moment. If we don't find that player, we simply can't get rid of Russell.

 

[Aceboogie]

Oilers outshot in a winning effort once again. Wonder if anyone has stats on Talbots record when facing more shots than the other goalie?

Talbot actually has a better record facing 35 shots vs facing under 25 shots. I saw this a couple months back so now sure the exact source and if its still true

I will say last night was a thrill ride and the Ducks had around 6 close, close scoring chances that either hit the post, or were misses by a couple inches. We should not look to recreate that game

 

[Stoneman89]

Talbot actually has a better record facing 35 shots vs facing under 25 shots. I saw this a couple months back so now sure the exact source and if its still true

I will say last night was a thrill ride and the Ducks had around 6 close, close scoring chances that either hit the post, or were misses by a couple inches. We should not look to recreate that game

If I were a betting man, if we win tonight, I bet we get outshot once again.