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Heading into 2016-17, Davidson was definitely in the running for more regular playing time on the Oilers, even as the team had picked up a number of useful defencemen, all right side players in Adam Larsson, Kris Russell and Matt Benning.

But then came the Tkachuk slewfoot, another major setback, and perhaps a fatal one when it came to Davidson’s hopes with the Oilers. Such is hockey.

Did the Oilers get enough for Davidson?

Related: The expansion cost of moving Davidson

Davidson, 25, 6-feet, 2-inches, 210-pounds, is a smart, gritty and steady defensive d-man, who can also move the puck and has a hard slapper from the point. He’s never been a point producer as a pro, but he was a trustworthy option for Oilers coach Todd McLellan here in Edmonton.

On the attack, two of his main competitors for full-time employment, Oscar Klefbom and Darnell Nurse, took major steps up this year in terms of their passing and skating with the puck. Both are far more assertive than they were in the past, Nurse in rushing the puck especially and Klefbom in shooting it. It was always going to be tough for Davidson to beat out two former first round picks, even as he had done so with Reinhart, but that job became next to impossible with their improved attacking play this year.

The Oilers also have veteran Andrej Sekera locked in on the left side, so it’s simple to see how Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli considered Davidson expendable, especially because Edmonton was going to have to strain mightily if it hoped to protect Davidson in the coming expansion draft. He was almost certainly going to be snapped up by Las Vegas. That said, it’s crucial to note that Vegas is going to take someone from the Oilers roster. Now that Davidson isn’t there for the grabbing, the Oilers are going to lose another valuable player. It’s now likely to be Griffin Reinhart on defence or one of Jujhar Khaira, Tyler Pitlick, Mark Letestu, Anton Lander or Benoit Pouliot at forward. If the Oilers also lose a promising forward like Khaira because of moving out Davidson, it’s hard to imagine how this current deal helps Edmonton.