The Edmonton Oilers made quite a few changes in the offseason that have fans excited for what they can accomplish this season. After a Stanley Cup Final appearance that ended in heartbreak with a Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers, the team has made it clear with their moves that they plan on making it back and this time, not coming away empty-handed. They moved out some money by trading Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for top prospect Matt Savoie, and they went spending in free agency with Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, and Josh Brown being three of the biggest acquisitions. The biggest storyline surrounding the Oilers was their restricted free agents Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, who they lost to the St. Louis Blues due to offer sheets. During that same week, they traded Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Ty Emberson.
While the Ceci trade seemed to be a cap-clearing move to allow the Oilers to match both offer sheets, it was quite the opposite. They opted against matching either offer and instead replaced Broberg with Emberson, while also replacing Holloway with Vasily Podkolzin in a separate trade. Podkolzin and Emberson are cheaper depth options and give the team some flexibility if they plan to spend big at the 2025 Trade Deadline. Emberson’s defensive game stands out in a big way as he will be a much better asset than Ceci, and it seems as though head coach Kris Knoblauch had a lot to do with bringing him in.
In a recent interview, general manager Stan Bowman confirmed he spoke with Knoblauch about Emberson since he has coached him before, and mentioned how highly he spoke of him. That sense of comfortability for both Knoblauch and Emberson should let fans breathe a bit easier knowing he isn’t coming into a situation where everything is brand new to him, and he has someone to lean on as the season gets going and he gets used to playing a full season at the NHL level.
Emberson Likely Playing Alongside Darnell Nurse This Season
The Oilers’ right side of the blue line doesn’t look as deep as it did last season. While moving on from Ceci helps them in a big way, they still have a hole after losing Broberg as well. With the top pairing locked in as Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard, the rest of the lineup is completely up in the air. However, it’s fair to assume Darnell Nurse will play on the second pairing this season, and it’s a safe bet that Emberson gets to start the campaign alongside him. His all-defensive game combined with Nurse’s lacklustre defensive play could be a combination that elevates them as a pairing, all while giving Emberson a veteran to learn from.
The third pairing likely fills out with Brett Kulak and Troy Stecher, which makes the defensive lineup decent, but not great. While Emberson doesn’t quite have the experience to be considered a great choice for a contending team’s top-four, he has all the skills to prove everyone wrong. Questions have risen about whether or not his short experience with the Sharks is a good indicator of what he can provide to any team, since it was only 30 games. While he played extremely well defensively and even had ten points, it was a short stint with the worst team in the NHL.
At the end of the day, there seems to be trust built between Emberson and Knoblauch already. Hopefully, he can solidify himself as a strong defensive top-four defender and can help be an “X-factor” to the Oilers’ upcoming playoff run.
