- Stan Bowman has eight NHL defencemen on the books at $1.3M or more after a busy summer
- Ty Emberson, Spencer Stastney, and Shakir Mukhamadullin are the names fighting for the bottom spot
- Read below for why another trade looks like the cleanest fix
Stan Bowman isn’t done reshaping Edmonton’s blue line.
The Oilers GM already pulled off two of the summer’s bigger moves, shipping Darnell Nurse to San Jose and grabbing goalie Devon Levi from Buffalo. The fallout from all that activity left him with a problem most teams would take: too many NHL defencemen.
Right now Edmonton has eight blueliners making $1.3 million or more, per Daily Hive’s Preston Hodgkinson. Evan Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Connor Murphy, and Ryan Shea are locks. That leaves Shakir Mukhamadullin, Ty Emberson, and Spencer Stastney fighting for what is realistically one open spot.
Most teams carry seven defencemen. The Oilers are sitting on eight who all expect to play, and the math doesn’t work.
Shea isn’t going anywhere after Edmonton handed him a five-year deal on the opening day of free agency. Mukhamadullin looks safe too. The Oilers traded for him and signed him to a two-year extension, and he can play both sides, which gives Mike Babcock the flexibility he likes.
That points the spotlight at Emberson or Stastney. Both just signed extensions, so Bowman isn’t cutting anyone loose for nothing. A trade that turns one of them into a pick or a prospect is the cleaner path, and it clears the crowd at the bottom of the depth chart.
There’s more pressure coming from below. Josh Brown, Atro Leppanen, and Alec Regula are all in the system and could push for a look in training camp.
Edmonton spent the last two springs watching its defence get picked apart when it mattered most. Bowman rebuilt the group this summer. Getting it down to a number that actually fits is the last piece.
