With the offer sheet situation resolved, the Edmonton Oilers blueline is certainly looking different than it did just a couple months ago. Here is the blueline depth chart for the Edmonton Oilers as of today.
Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Stetcher
Kulak-Emberson
Brown
Edmonton does have a few prospects in the system that could get some NHL games this season such as Philip Kemp, Noel Hoefenmayer, and perhaps Max Wanner but none of these are players poised to suddenly play 18+ minutes a night. The other issue with these prospects is that all three of them are right shots. After years of having too many left shot blueliners, Edmonton is looking thin on the left side.
For the left side, I wouldn't be surprised if the Oilers sign current UFA Travis Dermott to a league minimum deal. The idea of a Dermott signing has been telegraphed by Bob Stauffer who hinted about the Oilers looking at a veteran blueliner who has a history with Kris Knoblauch. Dermott, a former Eerie Otter fits that bill. Dermott would be an AHL option for the team and a call up should someone on the left side get hurt.
---
Now for the state of the right side. The Oilers have a true #1 defenseman on the right side in Evan Bouchard but the notable names drop off heavily after that. As mentioned above, Emberson, Stetcher, and Brown are the current options for that right side. Do any of those players have the ability to play top 4 minutes?
For starters we can rule out Josh Brown. The 30 year old physical blueliner has made a career as a bottom pairing player averaging under 15 minutes a game. He plays a physical game but brings very little in terms of foot speed or defensive acumen. There is no reason to think this player is suddenly going to be a 20 minute a night defensive stalwart.
That leaves us with Emberson and Stetcher - two players that each bring a different style of game. Stetcher is a player that Oilers fans are vaguely familiar with, as he played 7 games for the Oilers down the stretch last season. Stetcher is a mobile, puck moving defenseman who can also make quick decisions with the puck; shooting or passing. Take a look at this goal by Darnell Nurse last season. Some excellent work down low by Evander Kane but this play doesn't happen if Stetcher doesn't get the quick shot on net or the subsequent fast pass over to Nurse.
It is a small sample size but in 48 minutes at 5 on 5 last season, Nurse and Stetcher together went 3GF-0GA and xGF% 59.02%. Nurse without Stetcher last season was outscored 57-60. With Stetcher, Nurse didn't have to try and be the puck mover on the blueline (something that often puts him out of position). Stetcher is also a player that has averaged 18-20 minutes a night and has played almost 500NHL games. This is a player who knows what is expected of him and isn't going to be surprised by any on ice situations.
The other option is Emberson who is in a similar position as Broberg was; a young defenseman, brimming with potential but still uncertainty whether or not he can tap into it. Much of his ability has also been overshadowed by how awful the Sharks were last season.
Emberson was a -4 last season in 30 games. I don't like using +/- as a stat but when he is on a team with players like William Eklund who was a -45. It is worth pointing out. Another Sharks blueliner Josh MacDonald played 34 games and was a -14.
Of all Sharks blueliners last season who played at least 400 minutes at 5 on 5, Emberson had the best GF% at 44.44%. He was on the ice for 16GF and 20GA. The Sharks were still outscored when Emberson was on the ice but on a team that was bleeding goals, Emberson was the best at stemming the tide.
Emberson's most common linemate in San Jose was Mario Ferraro and the duo played 311 minutes together going 12-13 in 5 on 5 goals or a GF% of 48%.Ferraro without Emberson played 1137 minutes and the Sharks were outscored 41-79 or a GF% of 34.17%.
There is a reason why Edmonton targeted Emberson and moved Ceci. Though he is young and dealt with injuries, this is a promising player who could continue to develop into a strong shutdown blueliner, perhaps becoming a legitimate top 4 option. Keep in mind this is a player who played for Knoblauch in the AHL with the Hartford Wolfpack. That season he was named the 22-23 AHL Eastern Conference's Best Defensive Defenseman.
---
My best guess? The Oilers start the season with Nurse-Stetcher and Kulak-Emberson. They should use Kulak and Emberson heavily in the defensive zone against elite competition. The minutes should be split fairly evenly between both pairings. Knoblauch has had no issues in the past riding the top pairing the most and divvying up the rest between his bottom two pairs.
By no means is this a perfect solution and as of today the Oilers are certainly weaker on defense than they were a year ago. It's important to remember that the Oilers ran Nurse-Ceci as a second pairing for the bulk of last season and this team finished second in the division and nearly took the top spot in the Pacific.
As long as the blueline can embrace the same defense by committee approach that Knoblauch had the team buy into last season, I am confident this team can still be dominant throughout the regular season. With Broberg and Holloway gone, the team will also have far more cap flexibility at the trade deadline to add a true top 4 option if that need still exists.
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»