'I love size': Edmonton Oilers legend sticks up for embattled rookie

This in from former Edmonton Oilers player, coach and GM Craig MacTavish, a legend in Oil Country, his explanation of what he likes in newcomer d-man Alec Regula.

Regula is under social media fire in recent games from a large faction of fans for his turnovers and lost battles on defence, but MacTavish described to Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer exactly why he likes the 25-year-old d-man.

It all comes down to the size and skill of Regula, who was claimed on waivers from Boston last season.

“For me, I love size,” MacTavish said in general terms about NHL players. “You have to have size. And if you’re going to win, you can stop-gap it with smaller players, but you need size. And when you look at how the (Vegas) game turned (against the Oilers in the third period). You need cycle-busters and guys that can knock people off the puck. There’s no sense taking a run at a player in the defensive zone if you can’t knock them off the puck or you don’t apply enough force to knock them off the puck. It puts you in a worse position. You have to evaluate who the player is, how strong he is, what’s the size and strength differential between the checking guy and the guy with the puck.”

MacTavish continued: “I learned that trying to check (all-time NHL great, 6-foot-3-inch 230 pounds) Jaromir Jagr. I thought firstly when I went after him, I was going to take a run at him and he just put his rear end, absorbed the check and then he just spun right off and he went to the net and put it in the net. If you’re going to try and hit a guy and knock him off the puck, you got to make sure you’re able to move him off the puck. Otherwise, you stay off him a little bit, you’re in a better defensive position and you try and dislodge the puck from the player.”

Against Vegas, the Oilers didn’t have this tactic down, MacTavish suggested, and were forced to lob out pucks from the Edmonton end, only to see Vegas collect it and mount a new attack.

“You have to defend and you’re looking at Vegas that got better and better as the game went on and they played the night before too as well. So I think — back to my point about size, — you need some big cycle busters back there.”

At that point, MacTavish singled out Regula. “I like Regula. I think he’s shown a lot and he’s going to continue to get better, but he’s got a good touch on the puck for a big guy. You know, you’d like to see him maybe separate the guy from the puck a little bit more and just a little bit more physical play. But I think he’s got the size and I like the range.”

My take

1. There’s no better, sharper, saner radio hockey talk in Edmonton than MacTavish on Oilers Now, where unlike their TV spots, MacTavish and Stauffer have the time to dig more deeply into any hockey topic. MacTavish is able to expand on his points and share some of his vast experience and knowledge of the game. As the old saying goes, MacTavish has forgotten more about hockey than most of us will ever know.

If Sportsnet was smart, it would double or triple the length of the Stauffer/MacTavish spots between periods. That kind of focus on the game itself would be popular with fans.

2. Regula is under fire just now. He’s lost some battles, made some turnovers. He’s over-handling the puck a bit and could indeed bring more force to his defensive play. A number of Oilers observers suggest that when Jake Walman returns it will be Regula coming out, with newcomer Spencer Stastney being paired with Darnell Nurse. That may well be what happens.

I note at the end of the Vegas game, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch benched Regula for a few shifts and went with Stastney and Nurse to guard the lead.

3. I like Stastney’s agile skating, but I’m not yet sold on his ability to break up cycles and move the puck. He’s a solid depth addition but the 6-foot, 4-inch, 211-pound Regula has more Top 4 potential. He’s got the wingspan to smother opposition attacks and the soft hands and good head to advance the puck smartly.

4. It might be a coincidence but veteran d-man Darnell Nurse was sinking in one of the worst stretches of play in his NHL career earlier this season, but his game picked up considerably after he was paired with Regula.

In his first 21 games, Nurse was awful, chipping in on 27 Grade A shots at even strength with 58 major mistakes on Grade A shots against, for a -1.0 Grade A shots per game plus-minus at even strength. That’s a miserable plus-minus for an NHL d-man.

In the 16 games since then, however, and playing much of the time with Regula, Nurse has chipped in on 36 Grade A shots and made mistakes on 29 against, for a +0.44 per game plus-minus.

Regula himself has struggled, dragging down the pairing, but there’s no denying the Nurse uptick. Regula’s smart passing game combines well with Nurse, taking some weight of puck-moving off the veteran d-man.

5. None of this is to suggest Regula doesn’t have to pick up his play. He does.

But MacT’s take makes sense, the notion that a big, puck-moving d-man could be extremely useful in tough playoff games. I’ve got a lot of patience for Regula and will suggest that’s the correct perspective on a player with a Top 4 ceiling.

At the Cult of Hockey

Edmonton Oilers try ‘drastic reset’ on veteran winger but it’s not that simple

LEAVINS: Connor McDavid flies high, Connor Ingram solid in Edmonton Oilers 4-3 win over Vegas: Cult of Hockey Player Grades