Oilers Have Decision to Make on Third Defence Pairing

Despite a plethora of injuries in the forward group, the Edmonton Oilers have had little issue with the defensemen. Jake Walman is the only defender to get banged up thus far, missing a few games earlier in October, and since returning to the lineup. The relatively good health on the back end means no extra room for anyone right now and maybe even a bit of overcrowding. There’s a decision to be made at the bottom of the defence depth chart with a few guys vying for ice time.

The top four is no issue, with Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard leading the way, and Connor Murphy and newcomer Ryan Shea holding firm on line two. It’s the third pairing where the questions lie, as three players try to fit into two spots. Walman is playing his second full season with the Oilers and has proven to be a big asset when at his best, meaning he probably secures the fifth spot and leaves the final slot down to two guys: Ty Emberson and Shakir Mukhamudullin.

These two slightly vary in their styles and have different stories when it comes to their time with Edmonton. Mukhamadullin arrived to the team in July as part of the Darnell Nurse trade, while Emberson joined the team in another trade back in August 2024 when the team was looking to retool for a second run at the Cup. There are a number of ways Oilers coaches can handle operating the third pairing, but first let’s look at each player’s impact on the ice and alongside Walman and how each one fits into the lineup.

Oilers’ Third Pairing by the Numbers

Mukhamadullin has one goal, seven blocks, is a minus-five, and has averaged 11:52 of ice time through five games this season. Emberson has one assist, nine hits, is a plus-2, and has averaged 12:19 in six games played. The basic numbers favour Emberson, but it isn’t large margins.

Emberson and Walman have logged enough time (minimum 10 minutes) to qualify for stats as a pairing, so there is numbers to look at there. They have an expected goals against of 1.4 and an expected goals percentage of 48.1 per cent, both of which are around middle of the pack among qualified Oilers defence pairs. They have played just under 29 minutes together so far.

Emberson and Mukhamadullin have also played enough minutes together during Walman’s absence to crack the threshold, however, their metrics rank near the bottom in most categories for the team with over 29 minutes played as a duo. It’s very possible with injuries or potential Walman struggles that the pairing would get another tryout, but it would definitely need more work and hopefully some support from the units around them.

Mukhamadullin or Emberson: Who Gets the Edge?

The numbers don’t come in abundance this early in the season, but I think they support the correct decision. Emberson should be getting more reps alongside Walman and continue to build chemistry there as the sixth defenceman. He has proven his value more than enough times over two-plus seasons and he’s been very underrated as a shutdown guy in a depth role. Emberson also provides great complementary play with Walman tending to jump up in the play at times.