The top six is as good as it gets in the NHL, that part goes without saying.
The third line is an emerging force that proved in the playoffs last year that it can be a difference-maker.
The goaltending tandem is crazy affordable at $3.6 million and is good enough to take a team to the Stanley Cup final.
And most teams in the NHL dream of having a top defensive pairing like Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard.
On paper, the Edmonton Oilers are almost set.
Almost.
But, just like the best yacht in the world isn’t going anywhere with holes in its hull, the Oilers aren’t winning anything this season unless they patch the gaping vacancies in their second and third pairings on defence.
It’s the single biggest issue heading into the pre-season: Who’s playing right-shot defence with Darnell Nurse and who’s playing right-shot defence with Brett Kulak now that Cody Ceci, Philip Broberg and Vincent Desharnias are gone?
“That’s one of the things I’m excited to see, how it unfolds over the next couple of weeks here,” said Oilers general manager Stan Bowman, who brought in a handful of candidates to try and fill the voids, but still needs to see for himself if they can do the job.
“We have to sort that part of our game out. That’s obviously one thing that’s not settled yet. We want to see a few of those players take a step forward and emerge to show that they are the guy.”
Sorting this out is kind of a big deal. Edmonton’s Stanley Cup aspirations depend on a solid D-corps that is at least six players deep.
Right now, it’s four, with another four question marks in Troy Stecher, Ty Emberson, Josh Brown and PTO addition Travis Dermott, a left-shot veteran who can play both sides.
“They’re going to show us what they can do in training camp and where they fit in on our team,” said Bowman. “I would expect all of them to play a role for us this year. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll see who fits where. They all bring different elements to their game.”
On Day 1 of camp it was Emberson, acquired from the San Jose Sharks, who slotted in next to Nurse on the second pairing. The 24-year-old had some great numbers in San Jose before a lacerated tendon in his foot forced him to shut down an injury-plagued season after 30 games.
On a San Jose team with a league-worst minus-150 goal differential, Emberson was just -4 in almost half a season. So there’s something there, but 30 career NHL games isn’t much to go on.
“At the NHL level, his experience is limited, but I think the nice part about his background is he had that experience with Kris (Knoblauch, his AHL coach) in Hartford,” Bowman said.
“I’ve watched a lot of his games and a lot of his video, not just when he was in San Jose but even prior to that, and I really like what I see. We want to give him the chance to show what he can do.”
This is a big jump, from 32nd place to a Cup contender, and an even bigger opportunity for the University of Wisconsin product. Not only is he getting a chance to solidify his place in the NHL, he has a realistic shot at a ring if he holds up his end of the bargain.
“The call this summer to be able to come up to Edmonton is an exciting opportunity,” Emberson said. “You saw what Edmonton was able to do last year and how far they were able to make it and all the great returning players they have.
“It’s an unreal opportunity for me to be here. You grow up watching these guys. Connor (McDavid) is a great player. I grew up hearing about Paul Coffey and now being able to shake their hands, be in the same room with them and be able to pick their brains is a fun thing for me.”
Of course, the bar will be set much higher in Edmonton than it was in San Jose. It’s one thing to be a young defenceman in a rebuilding program, but it’s quite another to be a second-pairing guy on a team that needs to win a championship right now.
“I think there is always a little more pressure on a Cup contender, but I try and take it day by day and just play my same game,” he said. “Show up with a positive attitude and try and contribute in any way I can.”
The Oilers need a couple of players to rise up and fill those spots on the blue line and, even though he has limited experience, Emberson is confident he can be one of those guys.
“It means a lot to be able to step into this season and know that I’ve played in this league before,” he said. “As the 30 games went on last year I think I grew a lot and I was making a lot of strides.
“The injury cut it short at the end of the season but I was making a lot of strides and I’m ready to start the season on a good note. The first couple of games in the NHL is trying to find your footing a little bit but by the end of last year I was very confident in my game and who I was.”
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