Do the Oilers have enough defensive depth to go far?

It’s an age-old question that has followed one of the most skilled teams in the NHL.

Are the Edmonton Oilers good enough on defense?

That pondering query rose once again after the Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers in a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Final on Monday night, allowing six goals in a wild contest. It wasn’t as if Edmonton played poorly, as the team outshot the reigning champions by a 30-28 margin.

Yet, with a loss in a big game that exposed some issues on the back end, many wonder if the Oilers are capable of making another deep run in the playoffs. The team has again picked up its play after a sluggish start to the beginning of the season, climbing up to third in the Pacific Division. They aren’t giving up an insane amount of goals, sitting in the upper half of the NHL for the fewest goals allowed.

That said, do the Oilers have enough depth on defense to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender? That question was discussed between Colby Cohen and Carter Hutton on Tuesday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE.

Colby Cohen: You will not win a Stanley Cup if this is your group of six. You just will not. They need more depth. They need help in the top four. I think Darnell Nurse has turned his game around…but I still think the depth is a big problem for this D-corps.

Carter Hutton: I agree. I try not to be hard on [Evan] Bouchard because there’s times where his game has been very good, but last night was not one of them…I think for this back end, they’re going to need more, and when do they wait? When do they make a move? What do they find here because I think there’s a point where they know what it takes to push themselves over the top for a Stanley Cup Playoff run. I think right now, they’re missing a few pieces on that back end.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…