Fraser brought on board to bring ‘growl’ to Oilers lineup
Former Leafs tough guy to see action Saturday against Bruins
BOSTON — The Edmonton Oilers wanted defenceman Mark Fraser for his “growl,” as Dallas Eakins put it.
The first-year head coach could have used words like “grit” or “muscle” or “snap” just as easily. Everyone knows opposing forwards venturing toward the Oilers’ net rarely get barked at, let alone bitten.
The Oilers want to change that, which is why they traded the rights to winger Teemu Hartikainen, who has been playing for Salavat Yulayev in Ufa, Russia, and ECHL farmhand Cameron Abney, a Bakersfield (Calif.) Condor this season, to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Fraser.
The 27-year-old Fraser has played in 19 games for the Leafs this season, but had been a healthy scratch the last 11. On a team like Toronto that wears its truculence like a badge of honour, Fraser — all six-feet-four, 220 pounds of him — was deemed unnecessary, perhaps owing to the maturity of young Morgan Rielly, a sublimely skilled rookie defenceman. But the Oilers? Well, Eakins plans to insert Fraser into the club’s lineup for Saturday’s 11 a.m. MST game against the Boston Bruins, another of those heavy teams that have proven so difficult for the swift, skilled but slight Oilers to compete against.
They wanted Fraser because they need what he brings, and they need it right now. Fraser hits players — he had 153 hits in 2012-13, blocks shots — 102 to his credit last year, and fights — he had nine majors in 2012-13.
On a team of artists, Fraser is a heavy-duty tradesman.
“We didn’t bring Mark in to play on the power play, that’s for sure,” Eakins said. “But the one thing he will bring is he’s highly competitive, he has a growl to him, he does not take kindly to anyone going to our net.
“He’ll be able to play a good defensive role for us, help us on our penalty kill, and give us another level of toughness and leadership.”
For his part, Fraser, who is due to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, is excited to be reunited with Eakins, who coached him when both were with the Marlies, Toronto’s American Hockey League affiliate.
“He’s been great with me,” Fraser said. “I credit his belief in me with turning around my confidence.”
That belief, expressed by a coach, Fraser said, can be the difference between being in the NHL or not.
Late last year and early this season, Fraser’s NHL fortunes were hammered, literally, owing to a pair of catastrophic injuries.
During the 2013 playoffs against Boston last May, a Milan Lucic slapshot struck Fraser flush in the forehead, fracturing his skull and abruptly ending his season. Fraser said he did not suffer a concussion on that frightening play, which seems like a minor miracle.
Early this season, he was bodychecked in an awkward position during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers and tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. Fraser returned to action in early November, tweaked the knee again and missed another week.
“By December, (the injury) was out of my mind,” Fraser said.
Does he believe he can recapture his game in Edmonton?
“Absolutely,” Fraser said. “I don’t see any reason why I can’t return to form.”
Nor was Fraser particularly concerned about flying to Boston, meeting his new teammates and suiting up for the Oilers before he had so much as practised with them.
“It’s a bit odd to meet your new teammates the day you dress with them, but it’s part of the business,” Fraser said.
“I imagine lots of players will experience that at some point during their careers.”
The search for “growl” is what led the Oilers to trade goaltender Devan Dubnyk to the Nashville Predators for hard-rock winger Matt Hendricks, the third-line grinder who plays limited but hard minutes for the Oilers alongside centre Boyd Gordon and winger Ryan Jones.
With Fraser joining Hendricks, Luke Gazdic, the frisky Jones and Jesse Joensuu, the Oilers can sprinkle more physicality throughout their lineup.
The timing of the deal is interesting, coming two days after the San Jose Sharks set up shop in the Oilers’ zone for most of 60 minutes Wednesday night in Edmonton and unloaded a 59-shot barrage at Edmonton goaltender Ben Scrivens.
The Oilers escaped with a 3-0 victory, their third win in a row, a wild combination of brilliance and ineptitude that Eakins remained conflicted about on Friday.
Both right-winger Ales Hemsky and defenceman Andrew Ference practised with their teammates on Friday and one or both of them could be back in the lineup Saturday against the Bruins.
“There could be the possibility of a lot of moving parts here,” Eakins said. “It’s the nature of the game.
“I like to stick with winning lineups, but that last game, to me, I’m still torn on it. Yeah, we got the win, but we did not play well at all. If we need to make changes, we’ll make them.”
To make room for Fraser on the roster, the Oilers placed defenceman Philip Larsen on injured reserve.
Larsen, who played in the victory over the Sharks, has been battling an undisclosed, hard-to-diagnose illness and remains sub-par.