A player recently sneaked through waivers who should have been claimed by the Edmonton Oilers.
The Edmonton Oilers are a team that is focusing on team defence this training camp. It would lead one to believe that also extends to acquiring personnel that would help with their defence.
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With a defence boasting the likes of Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, Darnell Nurse and Evan Bouchard, it seems nitpicky to think that they are far away from being a good defensive group.
Philip Broberg.The truth is, the more the merrier, especially if the players you add are on very appealing deals. Enter the curious case of Ty Smith. At first glance, Smith has a very appealing 1-year $775,000 deal. On another glance, it's concerning that 30 other teams passed on him in the past few days - as he snuck through waivers.
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Smith isn't a massive point producing defenceman. He isn't a big shutdown defender either. He's only 23 years old with 123 NHL regular season games under his belt. He still has runway to develop into a more complete player.
Pittsburgh defender Ty Smith.The reason the Oilers didn't claim him probably has to do with their faith in Philip Broberg. He will get every opportunity to succeed this year. He'll get a chance to play alongside Ekholm and earn around 20 minutes a night.
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