The Columbus Blue Jackets are showcasing a young defender who could mesh well with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Edmonton Oilers look like a brand new team. Kris Knoblauch has put his stamp on this team, with positive effects. Paul Coffey has taken over running the defense. In that time has has emphasized a style focused on always making plays, skating and playing with skill.
Adam Boqvist.The Oilers are on the hunt for players who could help their team. One team that they have scouted for three straight games could be an interesting trading partner with them. One player who the Blue Jackets have been showcasing recently is Adam Boqvist. The 23-year old defender would be a great fit for the Oilers blueline.
He's Doing Great Relative to His Bad Team
He hasn't posted great analytical results this year, unfortunately. That is primarily a team issue though, as all of the Blue Jackets defense are worse than league average at preventing shot attempts.
When looking at Evolving Hockey, the Blue Jackets are two deviations worse than league average at Corsi Against Per 60 minutes (CA/60) and Goals Against Per 60 minutes (GA/60).
Adam Boqvist.The Oilers on the other hand are two deviations above league average when it comes to CA/60. Their GA/60 is the same as the Blue Jackets. Having such a large difference in these two metrics is proof that the Oilers goaltending has been sub-par when you look at the entire season.
Boqvist has the best on-ice goals percentage of all his fellow Blue Jackets defenders (57%). The next three highest in this metric are Zach Werenski (55%), Damon Severson (51%) and David Jiricek (50%). The Blue Jackets score more when Boqvist is on the ice than when he is not.
Even though the team isn't doing great, Boqvist is doing better than his teammates with the time on ice that he is given.
Paul Coffey Would Love Him
In some ways he's similar to Evan Bouchard - a smooth skating, puck moving defenseman. Perfect for the style that Coffey wants the defense to play.
Evan Bouchard.As myself (and others) have documented, Coffey wants the Oilers defensemen to have the mindset of always making plays. No more chipping the puck out of the zone - exit the zone with possession of the puck. That will always set your team up for success. Primarily because you will lose the puck in the neutral zone a lot less.
"He wants us to make plays, he wants us up in the rush. He wants us to close gaps, he wants us to be serving our forwards good passes," are some of the areas of focus that Mattias Ekholm likes about Coffey's coaching.
Mattias Ekholm.By taking him out of the Blue Jackets environment and putting him into the new Oilers environment, he should do considerably better. At $2.6-million for this year and next, it's not a bad gamble to take. Especially if you can shed some salary in the process.
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