Oilers Must Sign Newest Defender Right Now
The Edmonton Oilers must avoid past sins by locking up a young defender before it's too late.
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images - Oilers Must Sign Newest Defender Right NowEDMONTON -- There is no time like the present.
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Presently, the Edmonton Oilers are enjoying a period of success. Last season, the team made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final and lost in seven games. This season they are looking to go one step further.
In order to do that, they need players contributing in big ways across the board. More specifically, players on value contracts.
Additionally, the Oilers need to keep that young and inexpensive talent around while they have big bucks to dish out to the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
This is why the Oilers need to sign Ty Emberson pronto.
Emberson Replaces Something Oilers Have Lost
Emberson is one of the new kids on the block in Oil Country. The 24-year-old right-handed defender has found himself in a groove after starting the season rocky.
One way he's contributed is the penalty kill, which the team desperately needed.
The summer's departures of Cody Ceci and Vincent Desharnais left a hole in the right side of the ice on special teams. Emberson has admirably filled that hole.
Emberson has averaged 1:47 per game on the penalty kill this season. Only one defender has averaged more time killing penalties, Mattias Ekholm. The two have become a go-to pairing for the Oilers in that situation.
Oilers Must Hold On To Young & Inexpensive Talent
In case you haven't been paying attention, the Oilers don't have a lot of young talent on their team. Emberson is the second-youngest player on the roster, with Vasily Podkolzin being the youngest.
Emberson is making $950,000 for the rest of this season.
The young blueliner has only played 71 games. Despite his lack of experience, he is proving himself to be a reliable player. Case in point: Kris Knoblauch has had him on the ice in the dying minutes of a game defending a one-goal lead.
While this is far from a Philip Broberg situation, the Oilers must be proactive in this scenario.
There is no time like the present to extend Emberson.
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