Chiarelli must improve Oilers' defense to capitalize on Talbot extension

The Edmonton Oilers announced a three-year contract extension for Cam Talbot on Sunday, believed to be worth approximately $4.16 million through the end of the 2018-19 season.

With relative stability in net, the Oilers must now address the blue line, lest they continue to toil in the NHL's basement.

What the Oilers are getting

Talbot's cap hit slots him 23rd among all goalies, sandwiched in between Craig Anderson and Jonathan Bernier. Since entering the league in 2013 as a member of the New York Rangers, Talbot has posted a five-on-five save percentage of .927, good for 20th among goalies who have appeared in at least 2,000 minutes (or roughly 33 games) in that span.

Add it up, and Talbot's contract appears to provide the Oilers with decent value at the position for the next few years.

The rub, however, is that the defense in front of him remains riddled with holes and question marks, and the Oilers' overall play has hindered Talbot from putting up even better numbers than his current .914 save percentage.

Convo about Talbot's extension would be a lot different w/o 7 "own goals" #Oilers had on him this year. SV% would be .920 if only 4 went in.

- Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 17, 2016

The blue line, therefore, is clearly where general manager Peter Chiarelli needs to focus his attention.

What they have

First, a look at the most significant pieces on the team's payroll, in order of longest commitment.

Player	Age	Cap Hit	Expiry Year
Oscar Klefbom	22	$4.176 (beginning 2016-17)	2023
Andrej Sekera	29	$5.5M	2021
Mark Fayne	28	$3.625M	2018
Darnell Nurse	20	$863333	2018 (RFA)
Andrew Ference	36	$3.25M	2017
Griffin Reinhart	21	$863333	2017 (RFA)
Justin Schultz	25	$3.9M	2016 (RFA)
Eric Gryba	27	$1.25M	2016
Brandon Davidson	24	$585000	2016 (RFA)

With both Klefbom and Sekera locked up long term by the new GM, it's safe to assume both will play significant roles moving forward.

And while, at this point, there's no indication whether the Oilers will re-sign Schultz or look to trade him prior to the Feb. 29 deadline, it's also reasonable to conclude that Nurse and Reinhart will be extended at some point.

The rest of the group - including Fayne, who was placed on waivers earlier this season - is very much prone to modification.

What they need to do

There are attractive players set to hit the open market as free agents this summer, but the Oilers will have to pay a premium to lure them to Edmonton, as evidenced by Andrew Ference's unfortunate contract.

The most logical thing to do would be to dangle young, high-end talent - of which there's no shortage on the Oilers' roster - on the trade market in hopes of securing a top-pair defenseman with term.

A recent report suggested the Oilers made a push for Seth Jones by offering Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but the Nashville Predators decided to deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets instead.

It's too late for Chiarelli to salvage this season, even with Connor McDavid set to return after the All-Star break. But with another lottery pick - possibly a high one - on the way, the 27th-place Oilers need to address the position no later than this offseason in order to make the most of their newfound starting goalie and finally begin to ascend in the standings.

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