BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Ex-Toronto Maple Leafs defender Mark Fraser just didn’t work out in Edmonton
PHOTO: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images North America
Mark Fraser2013-14 Edmonton Oilers in Review: Mark Fraser
Mark Fraser hasn’t had a long career with the Edmonton Oilers: just 23 games in a little less than three months with the team. And if the team is smart, that’s where it will stop.
Fraser is one-dimensional. He’s big and tough and not shy about throwing his weight around – all virtues at the NHL level – but that’s all he brings. He isn’t fast enough to handle major league skaters and he treats the puck like a grenade.
As colleague David Staples put it, after counting scoring chances and ranking Fraser as the worst player on the Oilers blue line (and by a mile, at that): “Mark Fraser plays the game at about the same level as did Colten Teubert.”
Fraser was originally acquired in a deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs that saw Cameron Abney (an enforcer bafflingly selected 82nd overall by Edmonton after a one-goal WHL season) and more significantly the rights to Teemu Hartikainen (impressive in the KHL this year after the Oilers soured on him) go the other way. The deal added a warm body and a physical presence to an Edmonton defence; it also continued the Oilers’ trend of reuniting head coach Dallas Eakins with old members of the Toronto Marlies.
Of course, Fraser was added before the trade deadline, which saw the departures of Nick Schultz (trade) and Corey Potter (waivers). In retrospect, the Oilers would have been better off just holding on to Potter – not only because Potter was the superior defenceman, but also because Potter was a right-handed shot and Fraser’s inability to play his off-side meant that Edmonton ended up playing a succession of third-pair defencemen in situations they weren’t comfortable in. Andrew Ference started in the role as Fraser’s right-side partner and looked distinctly uncomfortable; he was quickly followed by rookie Oscar Klefbom, who did surprisingly well considering.
Given the Oilers’ defensive woes – and the number of youngsters the team will be breaking in on the blue line next season – it seems logical that the team would look for more capable help rather than bringing back a player like Fraser. Other teams with a strong defensive group might be able to afford a tough guy in the No. 7 role, but Edmonton already has so many maybes that it needs a reliable option in that slot on the depth chart.
However, there have been signs that the team might consider retaining him. In early March, for example, the highly-connected Bob Stauffer said “I do think there’s a chance that the Oilers try to re-sign Mark Fraser,” on his Oilers Now radio show. It’s worth noting that a lot of games were played after that, and there hasn’t been much indication since that Edmonton is leaning toward keeping the player.
That’s as it should be. The Oilers can’t afford to put Fraser on their NHL roster, and with the minor league system loaded to the gills with useful defensive prospects it’s hard to see where he fits even on a two-way deal
.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment