Incredible skater who jumps the gun on the rush EFFORTLESSLY and the next second is the last guy back on defense. Incredible skate who thinks the game so well.
He's still extremely raw, but I think the talent is obvious.
He's a future #2. We wont have Klefbom/Marcinin + whoever we draft this year ready in a long time. By the time Klefbom/Marcinin or Murray/Dumba/whoever develops, Petry or Smid should be the "veteran" they'll be playing with.
Smid + Gilbert 1A line
Petry + kid 1B line
Veteran + kid
I dont see us signing Whitney, Peckham, or Barker to extensions past their contracts.
The problem is that a team prolly can't afford to have that much money on D when hall, eberle and rnh are out of entry level
When Hall and Eberle are out of entry level contracts Whitney will likely be gone, possibly retired. Murray/Dumba and Klefbom will still be on their entry level contracts. Smid will likely cost more as will Petry and Gilbert will get a bit of a raise but not much. I dont see any cap problems with that defence.
Incredible skater who jumps the gun on the rush EFFORTLESSLY and the next second is the last guy back on defense. Incredible skate who thinks the game so well.
He's still extremely raw, but I think the talent is obvious.
Does he eat his boogers and live with his mom in a hotel?
No, Petry is not the Oilers' #1 defenseman. I didn't even think he was our best defenseman last night. Even though he just got back from injury, I thought Gilbert was clearly our best defenseman in the Toronto game, and he's been playing consistently at that level all year.
I've got really high hopes for Petry, and he's always been among the Oilers top 4 defensemen this year in my mind, but he's not their best defenseman. Not quite yet. I like that he's a lot more physical, but I don't like how often he gets outmuscled. If he wants that to be a significant part of his game, he's going to have to get a lot stronger in the offseason. That, and a little more experience are going to make him a real good defenseman in this league.
Completely disagree. Gilbert hasn't been the same at all since coming back from the injury, he's clearly struggling a bit right now but he should be fine in time.
I also don't think that Petry has been our best defenseman over the last while because that honor goes to Smid but he's been a clear 2nd IMO. There will still be more peaks and valleys in his development before he becomes a legit top 4 guy but he's well on his way.
Can someone explain to me what seems like a paradox?
Jeff Petry seems consistently to be getting upwards of 20 minutes of ice time per game. Often he plays more than Smid and Whitney and sometimes more than Gilbert (e.g. today). That would normally indicate the high level of trust on the part of the coach, yet I don't think there is anyone here who believes that Petry is a better defenseman than Smid, Whitney and Gilbert. So what's going on?
As a big Petry fan, I thought there was always the possibility he would overtake the veterans in the depth chart soon. Never knew it would be this season. haha. His puck moving abilities bodes well for a fast transitional team like the Oilers. In 6 games in February, he has 4 points and a -1 as a top pairing dman with Smid.
I'm one of the crazies that thinks he's better than Gilbert and Whitney. On shutdown ability, Smid kills him there though. The injury to Gilbert just gave Petry the chance to shine on the right side. One thing I'd like to know though is how he does if they break him up from Smid. Gilbert has not looked great since coming back from injury, and Whitney has continued to look shaky all season.
Also, he should get power play time. I think he needs to work on finding the right shooting lanes, so he can be part of the PP unit. I believe that's the one thing holding him back from being not only a point producer on the back end but a power play QB.
All in all, I think he'll be a good 2/3 guy. Potential for #1? Doubt it, but he'd make a good #2 if need be. He's 24 years old folks! He's only getting better. I don't think we have seen it all yet. Add one of those stud defenseman from this years draft, the defensive core looks promising...
As has been mentioned, Petry does have the potential to be a first or second pairing D-man. However, he really needs to eliminate (or limit) the bonehead plays that still happen a little too often. He also needs to tighten up on the little things.
For example, take Toronto's third goal last night. Petry has a chance to fire the puck around the boards and clear the zone on the PK. Instead, it's a fairly soft clearing attempt that is easily held in by Franson. The puck is quickly dished to Gardiner for the PP goal. That puck must be cleared.
If Petry and shore up these kinds of efforts (and limit the gaffes), he'll be a much better, more consistent D-man. If he does, he's got all the skills and attributes to become an Edler-type player. Here's hoping it happens.
Completely disagree. Gilbert hasn't been the same at all since coming back from the injury, he's clearly struggling a bit right now but he should be fine in time.
I also don't think that Petry has been our best defenseman over the last while because that honor goes to Smid but he's been a clear 2nd IMO. There will still be more peaks and valleys in his development before he becomes a legit top 4 guy but he's well on his way.
I agree with all of this.
Petry has played a grand total of 84 NHL games. He needs at least 2 more years of NHL play before we really know what we have in Petry.
Having said that I think he is trending really well. I would like to see him play as a 5/6 dman with added PP time next season. Pair him with Sutton and acquire a legit top 4 dman.
Potter is a good #7 dman.
Here are the pairings I would like to see next season...
leading the team in minutes somthing like 16 out of the last 18 games.. and very low penalty min..
max league allowed stick length and with his reach..still can damn near handle the puck like a forward
long wing-span.. can poke check from the next county over
needs a little more umph (muscle-bulk)..
This.
I've been watching him since the beginning of this season and liked what I saw. It's been a treat watching him get better. Really wish they would stick him on PP again (don't like Barker on the PP). More strength to out-muscle other guys and he will be solid.
Completely disagree. Gilbert hasn't been the same at all since coming back from the injury, he's clearly struggling a bit right now but he should be fine in time.
I also don't think that Petry has been our best defenseman over the last while because that honor goes to Smid but he's been a clear 2nd IMO. There will still be more peaks and valleys in his development before he becomes a legit top 4 guy but he's well on his way.
Completely agree. Oilers fans can be extremely myopic and high on players when they look to be turning out nicely, and god knows we can't be blamed for it. That said, Smid had shown flashes of brilliance in his 6 seasons prior to this one, only to experience seemingly never ending set backs. Even Gibby, a mature college player much better suited to comparison to Petry, was bundled up and ready to be sent packing as late as last year by a significant portion of the fan base, even after making legit strides in his game every year since his rookie campaign.
Peaches is a hell of a nice looking player now but we need to remember both recent examples of Smid and Gilbert to give a realistic picture of his development trajectory. Hopefully he exceeds it, but I'd feel much more comfortable with the Oilers planning to use him as a #5 next year, giving him top 4 minutes when he's playing really well or when injuries hit. I'd feel a lot more confident if they acquired a top-4 d-man between now and next season.
He looked phenomenal in Michigan, and I expect him to continue developing at the NHL level. He doesn't play witha mean streak often but when he does, look out. If somebody makes him mad on the ice, he'll go right back at whoever it is. This level of competitiveness needs to be more consistent for him to be a top-end pmd.
He's galloping up the depth chart thats for sure. And probably playing as well as anybody right now. And I think he still has a ton of growth potential. His confidence that he can play is just starting to kick in. Strong skater. Great balance. Smart defender. Decent passer. Booming shot. Needs to fill out more and add a bit to his heavy game but that will come with age and a better workout regime.
Already a core player in my mind. Bottom end a top four. Top end a legitimate top two putting up 35+ points a year playing any kind of minutes you want. Just a great draft pick.
Bump. Its been about 2 weeks since this thread and he still looks like our #1 D to me.
Best player on the ice on either team against Dallas imo.
I just hope he has a Gagner like offensive explosion one night to get his confidence up, like a 2G, 2A night. It would help if Renney would let him take Whitney's spot on the #1 PP unit, that is if we ever get another powerplay.
Cautious optimism is the way to go. It's still his first full year, let's not get too excited, even though his play lately has been something to get excited about.
