The Edmonton Oilers off-season roster moves can be summed up in one line: What they gained on offence, they lost on defence.
And that’s maybe not the best formula for the already-offence-heavy Pacific Division powerhouse, led by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and 50-goal scorer Zach Hyman.
Oh, also add the name Evan Bouchard to that high-octane list after finishing top-five among defensive players in scoring with 82 points off of 16 goals and 64 assists last year.
The flip side of all that offensive output is an Oilers defensive game that took its time gaining traction last year, benefitting greatly from the expertise brought on board in a coaching change that saw Hall-of-Fame blue liner Paul Coffey placed behind the bench.
It all came together in a memorable run to the Stanley Cup final that saw the team end up on the wrong side of one goal in Game 7.
But just as they were reloading to take another shot at it this year, three bullets ended up falling out of the clip and will have to be replaced.
Defencemen Cody Ceci, Vincent Desharnais and Philip Broberg now find themselves on other rosters as the big focus at Rogers Place throughout training camp has been on how the Oilers will fill the voids behind the returning top pairing of Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm.
While countless in-game permutations and combinations are happening throughout the lineup as the Oilers play out their eight-game exhibition schedule, one of the new-look pairings they have been experimenting with since camp opened last week has seen Brett Kulak consistently working with newcomer Josh Brown.
And where fans see a trio of departures, Brown sees plenty of opportunity to make the opening-night roster.
“I’m starting to fit in, bit by bit. It’s always new systems and things to learn, but I’ve been playing with Kuley, which has been a big help. He’s been great, it’s been fun playing with him,” said Brown, who finds himself on his fifth NHL team in his seventh NHL season. “All three of those guys were obviously very good players, they helped this team get really far last year.
“And I’m just happy that management sees something in me that they think that I can bring.”
Kulak has proven to be an agreeable piece to the Oilers puzzle, having played with Ceci, Desharnais and Broberg at times last season and was paired with all three over the course of the playoffs, as well.
And Brown sees his and Kulak’s playing styles as complementary.
“He’s a great skater, he makes plays with the puck and I think I like to sit back a little more,” Brown said. “But he’s a great defensive player too, he’s kind of more two-way and I would say I’m maybe more just straight defensive.
“It’s fun. I just think we’re making plays together and it seems to click so far. I mean, I know it’s just training camp right now but it’s been feeling good.”
For Kulak, it was always going to be a transition, no matter who was brought in.
“It’s sad to see lots of guys go. Over the years, they become big parts of the locker-room and things like that,” the 30-year-old Stony Plain product said. “So, the change is definitely different, but it is exciting when you get new guys in the room and get to meet them, get to know their personalities. And they bring a new energy to the room, for sure.
“I think everyone’s been through it. Close friends have come and gone on teams throughout guys’ careers and that’s just kind of the nature of the business. So, we’ve got some nice additions on the back end and I think they’re going to fit in well.”
He will have to wait a little bit longer to see it in a game situation, as he sat out Sunday’s exhibition against the visiting Winnipeg Jets and wasn’t slated to play in against either Calgary Flames squad Monday night. So, he is likely looking at making his pre-season debut Wednesday in Winnipeg.
Though, with head coach Kris Knoblauch treating his game-day rosters like a blender so far, who knows when the Kulak-Brown pairing will debut in front of the fans.
“I think he’s really good. He’s poised, he’s a veteran defenceman,” Kulak said of his six-foot-five, 220-pound counterpart. “A big strong guy, which is always handy to have in a D-partner and just on the backend in general. Size is something you can’t teach and he’ll be good. He’s good around the net and that’s important to have.
“Now, everyone wants to come up and have the puck on their stick all game and make the big plays and score the big goals and get all the praise that way, so he’s a veteran D-man, he plays a simple game and he does the little things like blocking the shots, killing penalties and just being hard around the net to make other teams uncomfortable.
“I think that’s an important player to have on your team.”
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On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge