News Article: The (couple weeks away) return of Andrej Sekera

[Jumptheshark]

hopefully he will be affective

 

[nabob]

Idk how he can come back and be more than a bottom pair guy. Having 2 major injuries b2b at his age is not a good sign.

But, hopefully he can come back and play well.

Did his brain or his hands suffer irreparable damage as well?

If he was a player like Karlsson who relied a ton on his skating then I would definitely agree with you. But his knee is 100% healed and was 4 months ago. His previous injuries has no bearing on his recovery from his current one.

 

[nabob]

hopefully he will be affective

I hope his mood and attitude is positive.

 

[bone]

I would honestly run...

Klefbom - Larsson
Nurse- Russell/Sekera
Sekera/Russell- Jones

I wouldn't yet, many young defense start well in their first few games before hitting a bit of a wall (Benning himself is an example of this). However, Jones should be able to push the agenda if he continues to show well over the next 10-15 games. I'm hoping they still give him some games once Russell comes back before sending him down so that we can find out how close he actually is. If he shows to be a reasonable Benning replacement that will be a huge win for the team as it would give us some real options for how to put together next year's defense.

 

[Yablo21]

Our PP hasn’t been the same without him

Def not hating on him, just making a joke, we could use his services more then ever right now.

 

[McNuge]

Great news!! Hope this means shipping Benning out. He is blocking Jones, who I think has been way better in his few games here.

 

[gordonhught]

Great news!! Hope this means shipping Benning out. He is blocking Jones, who I think has been way better in his few games here.

Benning can go anytime. But I am not hopeful that Sekera will provide any sort of meaningful contribution this year.

 

[780il]

Heck, even a good bottom pairing dman would be much needed at this point considering our current personnel on D

Did his brain or his hands suffer irreparable damage as well?

If he was a player like Karlsson who relied a ton on his skating then I would definitely agree with you. But his knee is 100% healed and was 4 months ago. His previous injuries has no bearing on his recovery from his current one.

Hopefully he's back and at 100%. We need him desperately. None of our dmen are anywhere close to good as him on the pp or in the offensive zone. (Jones is probably the best rn tbh).

 

[McLotto 97]

Nice thing is, when he is back, he only has to outplay Benning or Garrison, and it will feel like a win-Bar is pretty low

 

[nabob]

Hopefully he's back and at 100%. We need him desperately. None of our dmen are anywhere close to good as him on the pp or in the offensive zone. (Jones is probably the best rn tbh).

Which is kinda funny because fans loathed having him on the PP.

 

[Oilers in NS]

I would honestly run...

Klefbom - Larsson
Nurse- Russell/Sekera
Sekera/Russell- Jones

Yes, I forgot all about Jones. Sorry.
One must remember he was #2 dman in Team USA with Charlie MacAvoy. That was a great team. We have something in Jones.

 

[McJadeddog]

Benning can go anytime. But I am not hopeful that Sekera will provide any sort of meaningful contribution this year.

I think all we can really hope for is that he is good enough to play 3rd pairing minutes without being killed.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

A fully healthy blueline for this team might look like

Klefbom - Larsson
Nurse - Russell/Sekera
Sekera/Russell - Benning
Gravel

That's pretty good honestly

Klefbom - Larsson
Nurse - Russell
Sekera - Jones
Gravel - Benning

Better.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Wouldn't that be a great surprise if he comes in and plays solid. It would feel like getting a good ufa d man halfway through the season. Hoping for the best in his return, I know many ate skeptical though.

If he could be just 80% of the Dman he was a couple seasons ago, it will be a big boost. That might be asking a lot coming back from two major injuries, but let's hope that can be the case.

 

[Znith]

Can anyone clarify the cap situation with him coming back?

Capfriendly is showing you guys right up against the cap, but does that include Sekera or when he comes back off LTIR will that mean you are ~$4m over the cap and need to clear that space before activating him?

 

[Tyrolean]

From everything I have heard Sekera is a great pro and great teammate. He probably remembers how he was when he came back last year and how it effected him and the team. He definitely doesn't want to be a detriment to the team.

affected.

 

[Stoneman89]

Wouldn't that be a great surprise if he comes in and plays solid. It would feel like getting a good ufa d man halfway through the season. Hoping for the best in his return, I know many ate skeptical though.

Would be more than a surprise, it would be a miracle. You don't miss all the time he's missed and come in without missing a beat.

 

[Dohilers]

If he can come back at even 90% the player he was before the first injury, it'll be a big boost for the Edmonton blueline. Fingers crossed!

 

[elmeroil]

Would be more than a surprise, it would be a miracle. You don't miss all the time he's missed and come in without missing a beat.

I'm up for a miracle!

 

[KarmaPolice]

If he can come back at even 90% the player he was before the first injury, it'll be a big boost for the Edmonton blueline. Fingers crossed!

You ripped off my comment almost word for word, good job.

 

[Stoneman89]

I'm up for a miracle!

I hope for the best, but I'm going to temper my expectations. That way it's easier to handle when reality sets in.

 

[48g90a138pts]

Can anyone clarify the cap situation with him coming back?

Capfriendly is showing you guys right up against the cap, but does that include Sekera or when he comes back off LTIR will that mean you are ~$4m over the cap and need to clear that space before activating him?

They'll be fine cap wise. $79.9mil or $51,400 room.

 

[48g90a138pts]

I'm really pumped to have him back. And amazed I'm hearing he'll be doing a conditioning stint in the AHL. I really don't want to see him struggling just because he's not in mid season shape.

He's still got two more years left on his contract. Just enough to play big brother to Bouchard for first line PP. Maybe even a possibility to run 2 Dmen on the powerplay instead of just one. Idk maybe not, just a thought.

Maybe we can have a completely healthy lineup for the playoff push. Crossing my fingers.