Andrej Sekera is on the move yet again.
Andrej Sekera 6 year contract // $33M total #oilers
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) July 1, 2015
Age: 29 2014-15
Cap Hit: $2.75 million
Sekera is a good skater and quality puck-mover, but he lacks size for a modern NHL defender. He also, unfortunately, had a bit of a down year, which may hurt his stock on July 1st.
The Slovak got his NHL start in Buffalo, where he showed signs of developing into a top-four d-man who could produce on the power play, though he managed to eclipse the 20-point mark only once (2010-11, when he had 29 points). With Bufflao already bottoming out, he was sent to the Hurricanes in 2013, where his offensive game exploded. He posted 11 goals and 44 points, both career highs, and looked like he had finally reached his potential.
However, with Carolina likewise settling into the bottom of the league, Sekera became part of the sell-off, heading to Los Angeles this past February, as the Kings were gearing up for a run to the post-season. Despite quality ice time and outstanding possession numbers (59.6 Corsi For%, 7.6 Corsi For% relative), the production just wasn’t there, as he managed only one goal and four points in 16 games with the Kings.
Moving forward, Sekera might be a bit of a steal if he can recapture some of the skill he showed in Carolina in recent years, as he really appears to have put it all together, despite not getting the results he and the team hoped for in Los Angeles.
In Edmonton, the Oilers needed a veteran face in their lineup on defense to guide the core.
Can Sekera be that guy? Time will tell. At that price range, the pressure is on.
For more on the top ten UFA defensemen, take a look at Ken Hill’s piece—>https://lastwordonsports.com/?p=148717
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