Alec Regula makes strong case to avoid waivers and stay with Oilers

Dig through the ditches, and burn through the witches, I slam in the back of my Alec Regulaaaaaaaaaa

Rob Zombie’s next lyric: What will the Edmonton Oilers do with Alec Regula?

The big-bodied, right-shot defenceman has performed well throughout training camp and the preseason campaign.

Quietly, Regula was extended to a two-year, cheap as dirt $775k per annum deal amidst the Oilers’ postseason run in May.

Wednesday night in Seattle showed such a steady and tidy game from Regula, who has fought back from missing all of the 2024-25 campaign.

He’s a big man. Standing six-foot-four and some 212 pounds, he looks large in that number 75 sweater.

However, Regula isn’t some big lug in the vein of, say, Vinny Desharnais. He appears to have some hands, as he dippy-doodled from the blue line to draw a penalty and make a good first pass out of the zone.  

Playing a minute more roughly than Ty Emberson, and five minutes more than Troy Stecher on Wednesday, is Stan Bowman and Kris Knoblauch giving the extended look to Regula because they foresee a player that could be here opening night?

That might be a tall order, with Emberson also being extended two more years at nearly twice the pricetag in the offseason as well.

But Bowman likes this player. He traded for him once while working for the Blackhawks and claimed him off waivers in his first year with the Oilers.

Now to the question: the Oilers have to declare by Monday with the waivers deadline whether he’ll stay or go. Regula could be available for free off waivers.

This is the risk.

Call it the Taylor Chorney issue for my Decade of Darkness rememberers.

Chorney was put on waivers for reassignment on October 10, 2011, by the Oilers and was claimed by the St. Louis Blues the next day. After a couple of games and a month later, he was put on waivers, and the Oilers claimed him again.

This just played out with Raphael Lavoie. It also happened with Travis Dermott. It’s just what happens with fringe roster players.

Regula is firmly in that category of maybe an NHL player because of his size and some of his skillset, and since he was drafted, other teams have been interested.

It might be an issue the Oilers can’t get around.

Jake Walman is currently banged up, but indications trend he’ll be ready for opening night. If that’s true, the third pairing role pencilled in for Emberson is a tinge fainter at this moment with the Regula competition.

I discussed this with Tyler and Liam on OilersNation Everyday.