Dobber’s offseason fantasy hockey grades – Edmonton Oilers

For the last 18 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 19th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

Gone – Ethan Bear, Jujhar Khaira, Caleb Jones. Tyler Ennis, Dominik Kahun, Alex Chiasson

Incoming – Brendan Perlini, Duncan Keith, Zach Hyman, Cody Ceci, Warren Foegele

Impact of Changes – Despite Zach Hyman being the biggest contract the Oilers gave out this summer, either through trade or signing, the biggest change came on the blue line. Gone are Bear and Jones, in are Keith and Ceci, with Darnell Nurse and Tyson Barrie extensions to boot. By some measures, all of Barrie, Keith, and Nurse have had among the worst defensive impacts among all NHL blue liners over the last few years. With Evan Bouchard likely to get some more games/ice time, and Cody Ceci having a very uneven defensive career, this seems to be a very volatile blue line. It should be a blue line that can move the puck well, but it should also be one that struggles greatly in its own end. That means there are going to be more games for McDavid to, hopefully, just run up his point totals. That also means the goaltending should struggle a lot more than it did last season as well.

With Alex Chiasson leaving, there are a lot of top PP minutes available. These could go to Hyman, or they could go to Puljujärvi, or they could go to Yamamoto, or a wild card like Kassian or Foegele. Even though he was never a focus of the power play, Chiasson managed 4.5 points/60 with the man advantage in his Edmonton career. That is somewhere in the neighbourhood of Patrik Laine and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Realistically, whoever gets that role next year could see a 15-point boost through the power play. That is a significant boost for any one player, and could take Foegele from waiver fodder to must-add, or Pulju from top-200 player to top-100 player. There is no indication of who it will be yet, obviously, but losing Chiasson, a relatively minor player, could have massive fantasy implications.

Even if Hyman isn't on the top PP unit, his addition should allow this team to play two genuine scoring lines. That is something that has been haphazard over the last few years as they've often skated McDavid/Draisaitl together. Just don't get too over-excited with Hyman. If he doesn't get that PP role, he probably isn't worth more than 60 points, which is probably lower than some people may have him when skating with the top offensive players in hockey.

Ready for Full Time – Even with the new faces brought in, this should be nearly a full season for Bouchard. He could sit some games here and there, but he was good in a short sample last year and has a great pedigree behind him. What helps his cause is he's a right shot, while both Nurse and Keith are left shots. There is less stiff competition on that side on Edmonton's blue line, and that's what should help keep Bouchard at least in the NHL for the season, if in the press box at times.

Tyler Benson has 72 points in his last 83 AHL games, showing there's nothing left to prove there. Hyman and Foegele could take a lot of the left-wing top-6 minutes, which is bad news for Benson. He could be fighting with Ryan McLeod for a roster spot, though, and McLeod is a bit more versatile. With that said, Benson is probably more ready at the moment, so it's not clear who could get that spot.

Fantasy Outlook – This team still has McDavid and Draisaitl, which means they'll still be great scoring at 5-on-5 and on the power play. There are roles all over the team – top-line left wing, second-line left wing, top PP – that could be a big boost to almost any player that gets the minutes. If one player gets both top-6 and top PP minutes, well, that could just be a monster season waiting to happen. Someone like Hyman, with the right role, could be near a point-per-game player.

Also, maybe for the first time in five years, the Oilers should have a decent third line. That could bring extra value to players that would normally not have had it in other seasons.

Fantasy Grade – A- (last year was B+)

Be sure to grab your copy of the 2021 Dobber Fantasy Hockey Guide!

The rest of our offseason fantasy grades can be found here.