We asked, you answered. Earlier this week, I posted an engagement graphic on the Oilersnation social media channels asking fans who has been the best Oilers defenceman at the one-quarter mark. For this, I decided to dive into the comment sections on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and BlueSky. Instead of a typical poll on social media, I counted the names of those who commented on the most to create a mini-poll.
Two takeaways from this. There’s a lot of love for a man from Stony Plain, and the Oilers are better defensively than some may think.
Brett Kulak
When cruising the comments, the most common name I saw was Brett Kulak. Most fans believe he’s been the most consistent Oilers defenceman on both sides of the puck and is incredibly reliable. As you know, we received 100+ comments on both Facebook and Instagram. When scrolling on Instagram specifically, there was a point where I only saw the name Kulak. It’s safe to say that Oilers fans love what he’s bringing this season.
“Kulak. His skating puts him in the highest categorical echelon of the best skating dman in the league. Remember how Scott Neidermayer had a renaissance late into his career when he got to Anaheim because he didn’t lose a step and kept folding and forging his hockey sense samurai. I definitely noticed some correlating similarities there, just an order of magnitude down in overall offensive production, but still. I feel like Kulak has fully earned to get permanently locked into a sweetheart extension that would walk him into retirement. At this point, I’ll actually be heartbroken if he ever plays a game anywhere else. Paul Coffey’s pet project has clearly understood the assignment.” – Dwight Allen on Facebook“If it’s anyone other than Nurse or Kulak people just aren’t watching” – Noel Risky on X
“Kulak has stepped up and really helped Nurse out. Darnell has been great over the past 5-6 games ( when in lineup). Keep it up, Brett, and we will have two good D lines if Bouchard can improve his Defence.” – Coolcanuck1 on TikTok.
Mattias Ekholm
While Brett Kulak received the most love, many fans believe Mattias Ekholm is the most solid, all-around defenceman. One sentiment shared is that he has to cover up for many of his partner’s mistakes in Evan Bouchard. When it comes to Ekholm, he has been a fan favourite since joining the team at the 2023 NHL trade deadline and continues to be this season. However, his season hasn’t been perfect for some fans, especially when compared to Brett Kulak. One user pointed out that his turnovers have been a problem and that he is late to get back.
After digging through the comments, though, I feel that Ekholm is a close second for everyone’s favourite Oilers defenceman so far.
“Best has been Ekholm ever since his first day as an Oiler. The dude is a stud in all areas and is the most underrated defenseman in the league for how well he insulates Bouchard’s mistakes while Maintaining all the good things he does. Nurse is second and is having a great season. Hopefully that continues.” – Jean-Paul Savard on Facebook.
Darnell Nurse
Ever since signing his massive contract in the summer of 2021, Darnell Nurse has been a lightning rod for criticism among fans. If I had a dollar for every time I saw someone mention how he makes $ 9.25 million, I’d also have $ 9.25 million in my bank account. However, the tone around Nurse has recently changed on social media. Seeing the fanbase give him love and positive feedback was nice for a change. One thing’s for sure: with No. 25, he’s an absolute workhorse, and paired with Brett Kulak this season, we’ve seen a much better version of Nurse, and fans are pleased with the results defensively and offensively.
Over the last few years, I’ve read online from fans that playing with Cody Ceci did more harm than good to Nurse’s play. It’s possible we’re seeing the results of him playing with a more reliable partner like Brett Kulak right now.
“Overall, as much as fans hate him sometimes, it’s Nursey. The guy plays so hard along the boards, like he punished guys along the boards. Sure, he’s had bad moments without the puck in his own end and gets out of position at times, but he just tried too hard to make a bit and gets out of position. As much as we hate him, we gotta love the guy too.” – Ben Howse on Facebook.
Evan Bouchard
When it comes to Evan Bouchard, we’ve seen the gaffs, the moments where he has poor defensive lapses and makes you wonder where the effort is when the puck isn’t on his stick, especially in pivotal moments. Bouchard didn’t get much love compared to the other three defencemen in this article, yet fans see plenty of value in him. Because when he does have the puck, he doesn’t just provide offence but is important in moving play in the right direction.
It’s important to remember that for Bouchard to play good defence, he must spend less time in the Oilers’ defensive zone. I often find him a misunderstood player, and I recommend that anyone read Sid’s article on him and how he plays good defence.
Honourable Mentions
The Oilers have four core defencemen on the roster. This season, we’ve seen a revolving door of players on the blue line playing on the third pair or with Kulak & Nurse. Two names popped up: Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher.
While fans didn’t view them as the best defensive players on the team, they have noticed their progress. Emberson is showing potential, while Stecher has stepped up at times.
It’s nice to see that their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.
Closing Thoughts
The last thing I wanted to add to this piece was the data from the poll I conducted through each platform. This is based on the number of times a name was commented regarding the question. Here’s how the numbers are shaped up.
Instagram:
- Kulak: 41
- Nurse: 13
- Bouchard: 3
- Ekholm: 9
- Emberson: 3
- Stecher: 1
Facebook:
- Kulak: 72
- Nurse: 21
- Bouchard: 8
- Ekholm: 35
- Honorable mention – 0
TikTok:
- Kulak: 8
- Nurse: 1
- Bouchard: 0
- Ekholm: 0
- Honorable mention – 0
BlueSky:
- Kulak: 3
- Nurse: 1
- Bouchard: 0
- Ekholm: 2
- Honorable mention – 0
I decided not to include X as the poll is still fresh. However, the numbers indicate that Brett Kulak is everyone’s favourite defender. These engagement pieces are a way for me to include the community on the website and get a temperature check on specific areas of the team. To wrap this all up, it looks like fans believe Brett Kulak is the best defenceman on the Oilers at the one-quarter mark.
