Bob Stauffer raises concerns over the Oilers defensive core

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Finnegan Frost
September 27, 2024 (1:11 PM)

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The Oilers have arguably one of the most dynamic offensive teams in the NHL - but questions have been raised over the Oilers D-core.

In a recent segment of Oilers Now, Bob Stauffer admits that he remains unsure about the overall strength of the Oilers defence, specifically one the right side.

Evan Bouchard is by far the best blue-liner on the right side, but besides him, the Oilers are looking increasingly weaker by the minute.

According to Liam McCormick of Oilers Daily, The right side of the Oilers defence currently consists of Evan Bouchard, Ty Emberson, Josh Brown, and Troy Stecher. The concern obviously isn't with Bouchard, but the rest of the group is an inexperienced mishmash of journeymen.

Some significant concerns are emerging about Josh Brown, the 30 year old defenceman the Oilers signed to a three year contract for $3M. Brown has only played 290 NHL games himself, which is less than both Stecher and Dermott. Brown has posted poor results through his NHL career with the Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks, to the point where some fans see him more as an AHL quality player. To be frank, after seeing the players the Oilers signed to tryout contracts, the deal with Brown is looking more questionable as camp goes on and he struggles on the ice.

According to Stauffer, Ty Emberson has emerged as a "lock" to make the team and has become that top candidate to play alongside Darnell Nurse on the second pairing. The big concern is that Emberson only has 30 NHL games under his belt and may not be experienced enough to take on such a large role.

As far as the others go, Brown and Stetcher aren't exactly reliable options, raising big concerns about the health of the Oilers D-core.

With Evander Kane set to go on LTIR, big rumours have emerged of the Oilers using the extra cap room to acquire a right handed shot defenseman to bolster the teams blue-line.

source: Oilers Daily
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