Oilers Defense Is Built to Win the Stanley Cup

His play makes him look worse than he is, and it’s easy to forget the value he brings defensively. Bouchard is a great skater who uses his speed to create turnovers and, more importantly, set up the offense. His team leading 5.4 defensive point shares didn’t come by accident.

Then there’s Bouchard’s play on the offensive end of the ice. The Oilers don’t win Game 4 of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings with him and his two goals in the third period that tied the game and allowed them to win 5-4 in overtime. The Oilers don’t make a deep playoff run without his four goals and five assists in eight games. The playoffs are when offences can struggle and find it hard to find scoring chances. Bouchard makes then happen with his play at the point, and while it’s easy to think anyone could create offense with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the ice, only one defenseman on this team does at a high level.

Bouchard will be a restricted free agent this summer, and someone will pay him. Whether a team will give him the offer sheet or the Oilers will lock him up long-term is unknown. Until then, the Oilers will keep winning games, and Bouchard will be one of the reasons why.

Replacing Ekholm

The big question surrounding the Oilers heading into the playoffs (aside from goaltending) was who would replace Ekholm. Who would become that stay-at-home defenseman who would compensate for Bouchard’s aggressive nature and, more importantly, limit the high-flying offences on the other end?

The answer so far is Brett Kulak, surprisingly enough. He’s typically a depth defenseman and a veteran of the group at 31 years old. Yet, he’s taken on more ice time in the playoffs, averaging 24:25 compared to 20:32 in the regular season. Likewise, he’s stepped up in the defensive end and notably done a great job limiting the Golden Knights in the first two games.

The Oilers always have a veteran on their blue line playing on the second or third pair who steps up defensively in the playoffs. It was Duncan Keith in the 2022 run and then Ekholm in 2024. This season, it’s Kulak, someone the Oilers didn’t bring in hoping he’d save the day, yet he’s stepped up to do just that.

Darnell Nurse Is Finally Playing up to That Contract

Darnell Nurse has the talent of an elite defenseman, or at least he did back in the day. In 2020-21, he scored 16 goals and added 20 assists while contributing 5.3 defensive point shares in a 56-game season. Nurse was the top defenseman on the unit, and it’s why the Oilers paid him like one in the 2021 offseason, with an eight-year deal that had a $9.25 million average annual value (AAV) attached to it.

Until Bouchard arrived, Nurse was the defenseman the Oilers (and the fans) would point to for all their defensive woes. He was a liability on the defensive end and didn’t play up to his contract. He’s only 29, yet it seems like he’ll never become the elite defenseman the Oilers were hoping when they signed him. Nurse needed to pivot, and he did to become the type of player this team needed.

In these playoffs, Nurse is stepping up as the bigger-bodied defenseman who can play physical and keep opponents out of the high-danger areas. The Oilers lack that presence otherwise, and his play has allowed them to limit opponents. Throw in the occasional spark at the point, and Nurse is a valuable part of the team’s playoff run.

How the Oilers Rounded Out the Unit

When the Oilers traded Cody Ceci and lost Philip Broberg to an offer sheet in the offseason, they knew they had a void on their second and third pairing. The Ceci’s shutdown ability and Broberg’s skating would be tough to replace, and it showed all season. The Oilers couldn’t find replacements for the two and watched their former blueliners play great elsewhere.

The good news is that they found a replacement at the trade deadline when they acquired Jake Walman. He’s brought what both Broberg and Ceci provided while kicking it up a notch in the playoffs. He’s not the type of defenseman who will take over games with his offense but he’s a shutdown option, and when needed, he’ll provide a spark as well at the point.

While Walman stepped up as a key part of the unit, John Klingberg is also playing well at the right time. It’s been years since he’s looked like a reliable defenseman, and after battling injuries in the past few seasons, he’s now healthy and finally looking like a skater who can add depth to the defense.

The Oilers don’t have Ekholm, and it’s unclear when he’ll return. With him out of the lineup, the assumption was the unit would fall apart. The playoff run is showing how the entire defense can step up and deliver from Bouchard to Klingberg. It’s helped the Oilers look like the team that’s poised to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final for the second season in a row.