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Brett Kulak, Edmonton Oilers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Oilers Should Trade Defenceman Brett Kulak

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Matt Parks | Last updated Nov 28, 2025 9:35 AM ET

The Edmonton Oilers are struggling, and changes should be on the horizon. One significant move they can make is trading defenceman Brett Kulak. The Oilers acquired Kulak from the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the 2022 Trade Deadline, and he has been a serviceable third-pairing defenceman upon his arrival. The local product hasn’t missed a game since the trade, including the playoffs. He has played in 289 consecutive games, the ninth-longest active streak in the NHL.

Kulak is in the final season of his four-year deal, with a $2.75 million cap hit. The veteran blueliner is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), so Edmonton should explore trade options with him. He will likely demand a pay raise, considering what other third-pairing defencemen in Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin got in free agency last season. Ceci signed a four-year deal with a $4.5 million cap hit, and Dumoulin signed a three-year contract with a $4 million cap hit. The Oilers can’t afford to pay Kulak that amount of money this offseason, so they should trade him while they can.

A trade of this magnitude would shake up the room and hopefully send a message to the group that this level of play is unacceptable. This team needs a spark badly, and a change is not only necessary, but it’s imminent. Kulak has been a dependable player, but his time in Edmonton should be coming to an end.

Oilers Must Shed Salary

It’s no secret that the Oilers are in the market for a goalie, but they must shed salary to make that happen, especially if they want to target Jordan Binnington or Tristan Jarry. Binnington has one more year on his deal with a $6 million cap hit, while Jarry has two more years on his contract with a $5.375 million cap hit. The Oilers currently have just under $160,000 in cap space, so money is tight. Therefore, if general manager Stan Bowman trades for a goaltender, he must trade away contracts, even with salary retention, so Kulak is a logical choice.

It’s difficult to trade rostered players because Edmonton is still vying for the Stanley Cup, so it may not be wise to subtract from the group. But also, nearly every player on the roster has some sort of trade protection, making trades challenging. However, Kulak is the only skater making over $2 million without any trade protection, so he would be the easiest to move. A change must be made between the pipes, and Kulak could be a casualty of Edmonton’s tight salary cap situation. If he gets traded, management must also find a cheaper option to fill his role.

Kulak Has Underperformed

To put it bluntly, Kulak has been bad. He’s underperforming in every facet and is contributing to Edmonton’s horrendous defensive play. The 31-year-old has zero goals and two assists on the season, averaging 17:44 per game. That’s significantly lower than the 20:32 he averaged last season. He’s playing poorly, and his ice time is indicating that. He’s also a minus-11 through 25 games, the lowest of his career. His previous low was minus-10 in 56 games with the Canadiens in the 2021-22 season, before he was eventually traded to the Oilers. He finished that campaign plus-6 with the Oilers and minus-4 overall.

When Kulak is on the ice, the numbers aren’t pretty. According to Natural Stat Trick at 5-on-5, he has been on for 129 scoring chances for and 177 against. He has also been on for 49 high-danger chances for and 63 against. The Oilers only have 42.16 percent of the scoring chances (SCF%) and 43.75 percent of the high-danger scoring chances (HDCF%). This is the first time since the trade that his SCF% is under 50 percent, and only the third time in his career. He’s on pace for his lowest SCF% and HDCF% of his career. The Oilers have also been outscored 24-11 with him on the ice, for an abysmal 31.43 goals-for percentage. Those numbers are alarming. Edmonton is getting caved in at even strength when he’s on the ice, and that can’t continue.

If Kulak were playing better, the organization could keep him and let him test the open market in the offseason. But he’s underperforming and has become a hindrance to the team. They shouldn’t re-sign him due to his lacklustre play, so they should package him into a deal to fill another need, instead of losing him for nothing.

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