Mark Fayne and his $3.625 million salary have been buried in the minors for 10 days, but he’s getting another shot in the NHL.
On Sunday, the Oilers announced that they had recalled Fayne from the Bakersfield Condors.
#Oilers have recalled defenceman Mark Fayne from @Condors. pic.twitter.com/imeXS4mu8v
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 20, 2015
The 28-year-old has one assist, six penalty minutes and a minus-8 rating in 24 games with the Oilers, and he had one assist in five games in the AHL.
It’s hard to tell how well he played during his AHL stint because he isn’t an offensive-minded defenseman, but here’s what the Edmonton Journal had to say about his stint in the minors:
“As is typical with players of his ilk, his boxcars conceal more than they reveal (5 GP, 0-1-1, +1, 4 PiM), though the verbal from observers of the team was positive. One insider on talk radio this week (sorry, I forget who it was) talked about how the Condors penalty kill unit had turned the corner since Fayne arrived.”
Edmonton signed Fayne to a four-year, $14.5 million contract in the summer of 2014.
He was recalled because Brandon Davidson was injured in Saturday’s loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
Davidson is likely suffering from a rib injury after he took a cross-check to the midsection from Avalanche forward Blake Comeau (above).