Davidson feeling back at home in the land of the Oil

By Cole Parkinson
Taber Times
cparkinson@tabertimes.com

With the NHL season almost at the unofficial half, former Taberite Brandon Davidson has had a rollercoaster season so far.

After playing in three playoff games last year with the Edmonton Oilers, he was dealt in the offseason to the Montreal Canadiens with the fear of losing him for nothing to Vegas in the expansion draft.

While the trade was seen as a hockey move for both teams, Davidson saw limited action for the Habs as he only suited up for 13 games tallying one assist and 28 hits in the process.

When Montreal put him up on waivers last December, the Oilers snatched him back up and Davidson says he feels he is back where he belongs.

“I’m a little bit older now and I spent my time in the minor leagues and got a feel for how this business and league works. I feel really, really good about being back in Edmonton. I never wanted to leave in the first place and I felt that it was a mutual feeling between myself and the team. I felt that I was moved because of the expansion draft and for them to bring me back, I felt that I’m needed and I’m wanted. It was always where I wanted to be and I’m glad that I’m here now back playing with the Oilers,” said Davidson.

Even though his time in Montreal didn’t end up how he would have liked it, he doesn’t feel any ill will at all.

The shift from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference was a big adjustment for the big defensemen and he felt he never really hit his stride in his 13 games with the Canadiens.

“I had a tough go in Montreal. I loved being there, it was quite a challenge for me. It was a different style of hockey and a different coach. It was just so much different from what I’ve ever known. Things didn’t work out there and that’s okay, sometimes things don’t work out,” said Davidson, who was plugged right into the Oilers lineup upon being picked up from waivers. “I tried my best but coming back to Edmonton, I was able to jump into the lineup right away because there were injuries to a couple of their big defensemen.” 

In the last few weeks however the Oilers have seen the return of several of their injured defensemen which has relegated Davidson to the press box.

Davidson last saw game action on Jan. 7 against the Chicago Blackhawks and Davidson saw 18:21 of ice time during the 4-1 loss.

Even with the reduced playing time he has been seeing, Davidson knows that eventually his time will come and when it does he is excited to show the Oilers brass he deserves to stick in the backend top six.

“I thought I came in and did my part, I played well. I’m not the guy who is going to put up the numbers but I think I do my job in the defensive zone pretty well and gave a bit of a boost to the team. It’s kind of been a rollercoaster here because I haven’t played much lately again but there are other things that happen in hockey. They have all six of their d-men healthy now but I think things are going to fall in place here and I’m going to start taking on a bigger role and playing a lot more. I’m very excited to see where this will go for me,” added Davidson.

With the Oilers currently 12 points out of a playoff position, a lineup shake may see Davidson commanding more minutes over the last half of the season.

No matter what happens over the final 34 games, Davidson is happy to be playing for the Edmonton Oilers.