The Edmonton Oilers Right-Side Defense Problem

The Edmonton Oilers are built to win now, but there’s one flaw that keeps showing up: their blue line is unbalanced. Management says the defense is fine, but anyone looking closely can see the hole on the right side.

Too Many Lefties

Edmonton has four strong left-shot defensemen. Jake Walman was excellent in the 2025 playoffs, even filling in on the right side, but he’s naturally a lefty. Moving him over makes him less effective.

Mattias Ekholm missed most of the playoffs with an injury, and when he returned, he wasn’t the same. At 35 years old, his days of playing 25 minutes a night are likely behind him—and he’s not going to switch sides.

Darnell Nurse had a decent postseason, but he’s firmly planted on the left. Brett Kulak can technically play both sides, but he’s clearly better in his natural spot.

That leaves Edmonton with four quality left-shot defensemen, but none who should be asked to carry top minutes on the right.

Not Enough Righties

On the right side, the Oilers have Evan Bouchard, one of the best young defensemen in the league. After that, things get shaky. Ty Emberson is intriguing, but he’s unproven as a top-four option. Troy Stecher is a depth piece at best and no longer an everyday NHLer. Beyond that, the cupboard is bare.

The Walman Question

The only real option to patch the hole is to play Walman on the right. He proved in the playoffs that he can do it, but do the Oilers really want to weaken one of their best left-side defenders just to cover a hole? It feels like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

A Blind Spot for Management

Having good individual defensemen doesn’t mean you have a good defense. Balance matters. Right now, the Edmonton Oilers are overloaded on the left and dangerously thin on the right. That leaves them leaning too heavily on Bouchard, with no clear safety net if injuries hit.

Until Edmonton fixes this issue, their blue line will remain a weak spot—and it could once again be the factor that holds them back in the playoffs.