What should the Oilers do with Walman and Mukhamadullin?

For nearly half a decade, the Edmonton Oilers’ third pair was anchored by Brett Kulak, a speedy, defensive D-man with exceptional durability.

But when Kulak’s game fell apart last season, GM Stan Bowman shipped him out of town, and the Oilers have been trying to fill the void ever since. Finding the solution will be an early test for Mike Babcock.

“As far as the lineup goes, I don’t know because I haven’t been here long enough,” said Babcock ahead of the season opener. “When the real bullets start flying, you usually learn a lot more.”

Well, in the first two games of the season, the bullets have flown all right. So far, it’s Jake Walman and Shakir Mukhamadullin who’ve gotten shelled.

In Thursday night’s victory, Walman and Mukhamadullin went minus-3 and minus-4, respectively, while posting a laughable 17 per cent expected goal share together. They were thoroughly dominated by the lowly Vancouver Canucks.

Walman, who was briefly benched on Thursday, wants to get back to the game that made him successful when he first arrived in Oil Country. He was fantastic in 2025, but it’s gotten away from him since then. How can the new coaching staff get their $7 million defenceman on the right track and fix their flailing third pair?

Ty Emberson should be in the Oilers lineup

It always struck me as odd that Mukhamadullin took over Ty Emberson’s spot at RD. I assumed the 6-foot-5 left-hander would start as the seventh man on the depth chart. Understandably, they wanted to test-drive their new acquisition, but Edmonton’s right side wasn’t a problem that needed fixing. At least not after Connor Murphy arrived at last year’s deadline.

Emberson finished second among Oilers defencemen at limiting both goals against and expected goals against per hour last season, and his goal share sat at an even 50 per cent. He had carved out a niche as a capable stay-at-home D and a solid penalty killer.

In the 2026 playoffs, Walman and Emberson outscored the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 as the team’s third pair duo, with a 56 per cent expected goal share. Considering their success last spring, it might be worth another look.

Mukhamadullin will get his opportunities this season — Babcock likes his D-men to be “trees” rather than “shrubs” after all — but right now, he could benefit from some time in the press box. In all likelihood, the guy who earned his spot with his play last season will be drawing in on Saturday.

Who should the Oilers pair with Jake Walman?

With Mukhamadullin out of the picture, Babcock’s next order of business is putting Walman in a position to succeed.