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A closer look into the early results of Edmonton’s defensive core thus far

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28.10.2025
The Edmonton Oilers have begun the 2025-26 regular-season with a 4-4-1 record in their first nine games. This is identical to their 4-4-1 record in the first nine games of 2024-25. While there are numerous things to be concerned about thus far, a mediocre start is far from new for this team, and I would actually argue that there is some reason for optimism moving forward.

Last week, I took an early look into Edmonton’s forward deployment, specifically their younger forwards and why the coaching staff should give them a longer leash. For this week, I would like to analyze the early results of Edmonton’s defensive core thus far this season.

To begin, here is a basic look at the on-ice results of each of the eight defencemen that have suited up for the Oilers in the first nine games:

There are a couple of takeaways to be made from these early results.

Let’s start with a closer look into Edmonton’s top-pairing. With Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm on-ice, the Oilers have controlled 61 percent of the shots and 55 percent of the high-danger chances. Pretty good. Note that their possession numbers are not drastically lower than they were in 2024-25.

However, Ekholm and Bouchard have been on-ice for a mere one goal at 5-on-5, while on-ice for a whopping eight against. That equates to an absoultely awful 11 percent actual goal share.

A lot of ink has been spilled over........

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