Edmonton Oilers insider suggests going after this underrated defenseman

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Patrick Frost
November 15, 2024 (9:46 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers are finally starting to hit their stride, but hockey analysts are still questioning the overall strength of the team's back-end.

The Edmonton Oilers are coming off two back-to-back overtime victories, boosting the team's record to 9-7-1. Although the rocky start is slowly becoming a distant memory, it's no secret that GM Stan Bowman is still exploring the market for a shut down blue-liner.

The boys over at Oilers Nation have sparked an interesting conversation regarding Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman David Jiricek.

According to Ryan Hall of Oilers Daily, The hosts of the show including Tyler Yaremchuk feels that the Oilers may be willing to take on Jiricek as he appears to be looking for a change of scenery. The hosts were curious to why his name has been popping up in trade rumors but it appears that he is looking for ice time.

The 20-year-old defenderwho is the coveted right-handed shot was drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2022, First round , 6th overall. The underused defenseman has only played five games this season after playing 43 games the Blue Jackets last year. He had one goal with 9 assists for 10 points and 22 penalty minutes where this season he has no goals, one assist and is a - 2 with four penalty minutes. He's also seen his ice time dropped by over 3 minutes a game as he is now hovering near 10 minutes.
-Ryan Hall, Oilers Daily

The emergence of Edmonton Oilers defenceman Brett Kulak has muted the recent rumblings of defensive help, but analysts still believe the Oilers back-end remains an underlying issue.

David Jiricek is signed to a 3 year, $2,754,999 contract with a cap hit of $918,333 per season. His contract was signed on July 13, 2022, and expires at the end of the 2025-26 season, presenting an affordable solution for GM Stan Bowman.