David Jiricek Is The Wrong Target For The Oilers

A recent top draft pick seems to be on the move.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are deep into conversations about trading their 2022 6th overall pick David Jiricek as their contentious relationship with the player is finally coming to a head.

With the Oilers actively looking for help on defence, it doesn’t take much creativity to link the two. But the 20-year-old Jiricek isn’t the right move for Edmonton right now.

What do the Oilers need? A capable, responsible veteran two-way defenceman who can play the right side that they can slot in next to Darnell Nurse on the second pair.

What is David Jiricek? A 20-year-old defenceman with 53 career NHL games under his belt whose ice time has been consistently limited by two different coaches and front offices over his short time with the Blue Jackets. He’s about as far from a sure thing as you can get.

Jiricek’s problems in Columbus started last season, when Jiricek was constantly in and out of the lineup and up and down between Columbus and Cleveland, ending up with 43 NHL games and 29 in the AHL.

The young defenceman was vocal about his mishandling, telling The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline “I should be in the NHL right now” after his demotion in January. Head coach Pascal Vincent clearly disagreed, consistently scratching Jiricek in favour of the entirely mediocre Andrew Peeke.

Any hope that his situation would improve under new head coach Dean Evason has been thoroughly dashed. He’s only played six games this season and has already spent some time back in the AHL.

The 6’4″ defender has a lot of great tools in his bag: size, hockey sense, and a huge right-handed shot from the point. At just 20 years old, teams should be salivating over the young Czech blueliner as a future piece. But he just doesn’t fit the Oilers’ needs at his age.

Yes, the Oilers need defencemen, and they need to get younger. But Jiricek’s minutes have been limited for a reason: he hasn’t played all that well in the NHL. Despite his assertion that he belongs in the NHL, his advanced on-ice numbers last season were underwhelming.

Now, he’s got a ton of potential, and could very well blossom into a star defenceman in a new environment. But the Oilers have only one shot at acquiring a defensive upgrade this season, and they can’t afford to spend it on a raw, mistake-prone project. The stakes are just too high.

The Oilers were initially counted out of the Jiricek sweepstakes by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who said they didn’t have the kind of young players the Blue Jackets wanted in return. But more recent reporting from TSN’s Chris Johnston says that Columbus is widening their net, allowing the Oilers to squeeze back into the conversation.

Despite that, the Oilers should be wary of wading too far into those waters. Jiricek may be an exciting young prospect, but the Oilers should leave the prospects to the rebuilding teams for now. What they need more than anything is proven NHL talent.

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