Four defencemen the Oilers could invite to training camp on a PTO

You can never have too much depth on defence.

The Edmonton Oilers’ defence core is all but set, featuring Evan Bouchard, Jake Walman, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, Darnell Nurse, Troy Stecher, and Ty Emberson. Still, the Oilers could look to add on a veteran presence, especially for the bottom pairing.

Enter the professional tryout. There are a handful of veteran defenders who could be of interest to the Oilers with the pre-season just around the corner. Let’s take a look at four notable defencemen the Oilers could invite to training camp on a PTO.

Matt Grzelcyk

Matt Grzelcyk is the best defenceman remaining in free agency. The left-shot defenceman remains an unrestricted free agent, which is surprising given that he put up a career-high 40 points last season.

Not just that, but he’s a solid puck mover and can play on the man-advantage. Grzelcyk has played in the postseason in the past, scoring five goals and 14 points in 66 games, including four goals and eight points in 20 games during the Boston Bruins’ run to the Stanley Cup in 2019.

Although he is the best defenceman available who isn’t signed, Grzelcyk doesn’t fit what the Oilers need, as they’ll already have four left-shot defencemen in the lineup. This is a common trend among the defencemen listed. That said, Grzelcyk has experience playing on the right side of the ice if need be.

T.J. Brodie

Like Grzelcyk, T.J. Brodie is a left-shot defenceman. However, Brodie has always played on the right side. When he was with the Calgary Flames, the Chatham, Ontario native played alongside Mark Giordano, including during the 2018-19 season when Giordano won the Norris Trophy. In his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brodie often played alongside Morgan Rielly, anchoring the top pairing.

Brodie’s most recent season was spent with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he scored two goals and 10 points in 54 games. That said, he’s just a season removed from scoring a goal and 26 points in 78 games in 2023-24, so there’s still potential to be a solid third-pairing option.

Marc-Édouard Vlasic

Early in the off-season, the San Jose Sharks waived long-time defenceman Marc-Édouard Vlasic, allowing him to ring chase with a contender. At one point in his career, the Montréal-native was considered one of the best defensive defencemen in the league with a scoring touch, but age has caught up with the left-shot defenceman.

Now 38 years old, Vlasic played just 27 games with the San Jose Sharks, scoring a goal and three points in 27 games, down from six goals and 12 points in 57 games in 2023-24. 

Vlasic isn’t going to put up 30 points a season like he did in his prime, but he has experience playing on the right side and has plenty of postseason experience while the Sharks were in their extended period of contention.

Ryan Suter

If Vlasic signs, it’ll be his first season chasing a ring as a veteran on a contender. One player who’s been at it for a while is Ryan Suter. In his prime, Suter consistently put up 40-50 points, but by the end of his tenure with the Minnesota Wild, he had missed just under 30 games and scored just three goals and 19 points.

Before the 2021-22 season, he signed with the Dallas Stars, returning to the productive player he once was, picking up 32 points in 2021-22, 25 points in 2022-23, and 17 points in 2023-24. Last season, the 40-year-old defenceman played for the St. Louis Blues, putting up a productive two goals and 15 points in 82 games as a third-pairing defenceman.

Like Grzelcyk, Brodie, and Vlasic, Suter is a left-shot defenceman, but has experience playing on the right side.

Previously

• Five forwards the Oilers could invite to training camp on a PTO
• Three goalies the Oilers could invite to training camp on a PTO