Of any position on the Edmonton Oilers, it looks as if their blueline will not get any major upgrade.
That makes sense, as their defence core in the 2025 postseason was really darn good up until the Stanley Cup Final. They easily shut down the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars’ offence, winning both series in five games.
Sure, their defence fell apart in the Stanley Cup Final, but that’s less of an issue with the Oilers’ defence and more to do with the Florida Panthers being an insane forechecking team. Add the fact that Darnell Nurse, Brett Kulak, Jake Walman, Mattias Ekholm, Troy Stecher, Ty Emberson, and soon Evan Bouchard will be locked up, and you can see that defence isn’t the most pressing issue to deal with.
That said, if the Oilers wish to upgrade their defence core, there are a few intriguing unrestricted free agents who’ll be available on July 1. If you missed the netminder the Oilers can target in free agency, you can read that here.
Aaron Ekblad
What better way to beat the Florida Panthers than by dismantling them? Ekblad, taken two picks ahead of Leon Draisaitl, scored three goals and 33 points in 56 games last season, along with four goals and 13 points in 19 postseason games. He’s been a key player in the Panthers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup victories.
There are several reasons why this won’t work. First off, the right-shot defenceman has expressed a desire to stay in Sunrise, Florida. Secondly, would he even want to join the Oilers after playing back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals against them? We know the sentiment the Panthers players have been showing on their victory tour.
From an Oilers standpoint, it doesn’t really work either unless they trade Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm, or Evan Bouchard. Ekblad is a downgrade from Bouchard, and Nurse has a full no-move clause. Maybe trading Ekholm is the way to go, but it’s clear he wasn’t even 50% in the postseason.
There was a rumour going around during the Stanley Cup Final that the Oilers would look to bring him in. This was not what was said, as EJ Hradek said the Oilers could’ve used a right-shot defenceman like Ekblad, as would the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.
He’s arguably the best unrestricted free agent defender, but this doesn’t seem likely.
Ryan Lindgren
Another rumour has the Oilers interested in Ryan Lindgren. It also doesn’t seem likely, as he’s a left-shot defenceman. The Oilers already have four left-shot defencemen, Ekholm, Nurse, Walman, and Kulak.
Lindgren is primarily a defensive defenceman, but put up a career-high four goals and 22 points in 72 games, splitting his season between the New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche.
If the Oilers look to upgrade their defence, which was already stated as not a priority, it’d have to be a right-shot defenceman. You can also put Ivan Provorov, Vladislav Gavrikov, and Matt Grzelcyk in this boat.
John Klingberg
It would not be surprising if the Oilers had an interest in bringing back John Klingberg. The series against the Los Angeles Kings changed when he returned to the lineup, and he looked fantastic in the series against the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars.
Klingberg struggled in the Stanley Cup Final, being pulled for Games 4 and 5, before returning for Game 6. As a whole, he scored one goal and four points in 19 postseason games, the same total as his regular season stats, albeit in only 11 games.
According to AFPAnalytics, Klingberg is expected to earn a one-year deal worth $2 million. If the Oilers can get him on that deal, they should be all over that.
Brent Burns
Brent Burns has done a lot in his career, including winning the Norris Trophy in 2016-17 when he scored 29 goals and 76 points. The season before, his San Jose Sharks fell short to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games, and he has yet to be back.
In the past three seasons, Burns has played for the Carolina Hurricanes, putting only six goals and 29 points in 82 games, the lowest point total since the 2006-07 season with the Minnesota Wild, his first season as a defenceman in the NHL.
Now 40 years old, Burns is running out of opportunities to etch his name on the Stanley Cup. Could he go the Ryan Suter way and sign a cheap deal with a contending team? It doesn’t seem likely to AFPAnalytics, which projects him to sign a one-year deal for a little north of $5.3 million.
If that’s the case, there’s no way the Oilers could get him.
Nick Perbix
Gustav Forsling is one of the best defensive defencemen in the league, and the Florida Panthers showcased that in the past two Stanley Cup Finals. Forsling wasn’t traded to the Panthers, but instead claimed off waivers.
The Oilers need to find their own Gustav Forsling, and Nick Perbix could be that player. The 27-year-old is a right-shot defenceman who has put up solid numbers for the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring a career-high six goals and adding 13 assists in his 74 games. On top of that, Perbix is a solid defender and should be relatively cheap, as he’s projected to earn a deal worth $2.645 million a season for two years, according to AFPAnalytics.
If the Oilers were to sign Perbix, you imagine that one of Stecher or Emberson would be traded, something the Oilers may not want to do.
