The Edmonton Oilers should sign free agent Kevin Bieksa

Kevin Bieksa wasn't a National Hockey League player who was overflowing with natural talent. It's probably a good thing for him that NHL Edge statistics on skating speed weren't tracked during the years he was in the league. He played a hard game, added a sprinkling of offense and truculence, and was big enough to patrol a NHL blueline. That combination, along with one other element, allowed him to have an 808 game NHL career with the Vancouver Canucks and Anaheim Ducks.

That last ingredient is the thing that makes him a heck of a hockey media analyst. Bieksa understands the game of hockey extremely well. His dissection of plays during intermission and postgame shows in his now former role as a Sportsnet analyst was second to none. He is able to highlight what a player should do in a given situation, and show the consequences when that player chooses some other action, in terms that your average fan watching on television can understand and appreciate.

Free agents

The news coming out this week that both Bieksa and longtime NHL insider Eliiot Friedman are without new contracts at Sportsnet, is an opportunity for both these two individuals, and smart NHL general managers as well. There's little doubt that Friedman will find a soft landing with another network (I predict Amazon will bring him in to their Wednesday Night Prime Hockey before much time passes), and Bieksa is marketable as well and may ultimately choose to continue in broadcasting.

But if the former defenseman has interest in trying something new, I believe he'd make an excellent defense and penalty kill coach on a team like the Edmonton Oilers. His quick and concise analysis would be extremely useful behind the bench, and his ability to communicate, along with the fact that he played in the trenches for 13 years, should translate into respect and attentive listening on the parts of young defensemen in the Oilers' system.

The NHL season is a grind, and there's a decent chance that Bieksa would rather wear a suit and talk about hockey in a studio, making the odd road trip for an important match up or outdoor game. But many players never lose the itch that can only be scratched by being on ice level during the games themselves. He never won a Stanley Cup as a player, but he could be the missing ingredient in the Oilers' next run at a championship.