In Hindsight: The Quiet Trade Costing the Oilers a Top Defender

With John Marino officially signing the biggest contract of his career – an eight-year, $54 million extension ($6.75 million AAV) with the Utah Mammoth – I wanted to look back on the former Edmonton Oiler’s 6th-round pick and ask, ‘Why isn’t Marino signing a deal today with the Oilers?’

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Back in the 2015 draft, the Oilers were very busy. For good reason, most will remember this as the Connor McDavid draft for Edmonton. But it wasn’t all a win. The Oilers also made a very big trade in the first round, which most remember far less fondly. (Griffin Reinhart, anyone?).

Overall, it was good for Edmonton. They selected Caleb Jones in the 4th round, 117th overall. They then drafted Ethan Bear in the 5th round, 124th overall. Then, in the 6th round, the Oilers would select John Marino, 154th overall. These three picks were the three following picks after McDavid, and every defenseman ended up in the NHL. They have a combined 973 games played. That’s solid drafting.

Unfortunately, only 249 of those games were played for the Oilers, and Marino, with his 443 NHL games, played none with Edmonton.

Related: Is “Pretty Close” Good Enough for the Oilers to Start the Season?

Following Marino’s draft, he would play three years for Harvard University. He did not dazzle at Harvard; however, he did put up seasons of 15, 16, and 11 points. As a coveted right-shot defenseman who was very responsible defensively, Marino appeared ready for NHL time following his Harvard run. The trick was what to do with him.

Jones had made his debut in 2018, playing 17 games. Bear appeared ready and went on to play 71 games in 2019. The Oilers also had young Evan Bouchard pushing for the lineup, and still had Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Darnell Nurse, Kris Russell, and Matt Benning on the roster. There wasn’t much of an opportunity in Edmonton.

Why Was John Marino Moved?

Marino did not see a fit for himself with the logjam at defense and ultimately would not sign with Edmonton. Ken Holland was forced to trade Marino and dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 26th, 2019, for a conditional 2021 6th-round pick. That pick was 186th overall for Shane Lachance, who would eventually also refuse to sign with Edmonton, and was added into the package to receive Trent Frederic.

During the 2019-20 season, John Marino appeared in 56 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, recording 26 points and adding four playoff appearances. He followed that up in 2020-21 with 13 points in 52 games, along with six playoff appearances. In 2021-22, Marino set a career high by playing 81 games and tallying 25 points, while appearing in seven playoff contests.

Marino was later traded to the New Jersey Devils and eventually landed in Utah, where he played 80 games this past season, posting 36 points and establishing himself as a reliable top-four right-shot defenseman.

In hindsight, this trade made complete sense for Edmonton. They got a 6th-round pick back, which was equal to the round Marino was drafted. They were comfortable with their defense at the time and moved a distressed asset who wouldn’t sign anyway. The pick (Shane Lachance) ended up being used to retain money on Trent Frederic, which made the trade for him possible for the 2025 playoff Cup run.

Still, the Oilers certainly could’ve used a top-four right-shot defenceman over the past seven seasons.

What If?

What if the Oilers hadn’t been stocked full of defense? If the 2015 draft hadn’t gone so well in selecting NHL-calibre defencemen, things might have been different for Marino. With Larsson ultimately leaving for the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 expansion draft, the Oilers only had a young Evan Bouchard, and Bear was their top right-shot defenseman. Having Marino would have solidified the Oilers’ defense and given them a perfect second-line defender when Larsson ultimately left.

Marino could have played big minutes for the Oilers, and likely would have meant the Oilers not signing Cody Ceci. Ceci was a good Oiler and was ultimately traded to bring in Ty Emberson, but Marino still being here would have solidified the second pairing. The Oilers have arguably been searching for that piece since Larsson left.

John Marino being here likely would mean Connor Murphy never became an Oiler at this past season’s trade deadline, and his money would be part of re-signing Marino today. With Marino, the Oilers would have had extra assets to bring in more forward/goalie help, which ultimately could have been the difference between a Cup win in 2024-25 vs where we are today.

It is easy looking back and seeing why the decision to move on from Marino was made, but the past seven seasons could have looked a whole lot different with him playing 50 + games for the Oilers instead of another team.

Next: In Hindsight: The Oilers’ Goalie Signing That Made Sense — Until It Didn’t