Oilers' Defenseman Solid, But Not Top 20

The Edmonton Oilers had two players make the NHL's top 20 defensemen list, but one of the choices was a questionable one.

Jun 21, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) controls the puck against Florida Panthers center Sam Bennett (9) during the first period in game six of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Edmonton Oilers are the focal point of the NHL's offseason. After losing in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Florida Panthers, the Oilers responded with a summer of changes. They hired a new general manager, signed several free agent forwards to improve their depth scoring, and lost two of their promising young players due to offer sheet shenanigans.

Despite the organizational shakeup, the Oilers are again favorites to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup in 2025. According to NHL Network, in addition to having the two of the league's best players in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, they also have two of the top 20 defensemen in all of the NHL. They recently released their rankings for the best at each position with Oilers defender Mattias Ekholm ranked 16th and Evan Bouchard coming in at 9th.

Bouchard is an expected inclusion on this list. He had a breakout season and doubled his offensive output, finishing last season with 82 points. He's the top blue liner in Edmonton and will be for years to come.

Ekholm, on the other hand, is a curious inclusion. NHL Network was extremely complimentary of his season, which was an offensive apex for the 34 year-old blueliner.

"Ekholm had NHL career highs in goals (11), points (45) and shots on goal (177) last season while averaging 21:03 of ice time per game," they wrote. "He led the Oilers and was third in the NHL last season with a plus-44 rating, and had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 25 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help Edmonton reach the Cup Final. The 34-year-old also ranked tied for ninth in the NHL in SAT percentage during the regular season, with the Oilers controlling 60.0 percent of shot attempts at 5-on-5 when he was on the ice."

While acknowledging that Ekholm had a great season, to include him on this list is a sign of the Oilers' bias currently plaguing the league's media. Now, there's always going to be oversights and issues taken with these sorts of list, but this goes past that. I criticized the ranking of Oilers' winger Zach Hyman so highly for the same reason.

Let's look at some of the players this list excluded. First is Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild. As a rookie, he became the Wild's top defender. He averaged a staggering 24:58 of ice time per game while also registering two more points than Ekholm.

Faber tied for the rookie lead in defensive scoring with New Jersey Devils' puck-mover Luke Hughes. The 20 year-old younger brother of Quinn and Jack has sky-high potential, and will shoot up the top 20 rankings for next year.

If any team should have had two defensemen on this list, it's the Dallas Stars. Thomas Harley emerged as a two-way defensive force, recording 15 goals and 47 points while also averaging the second most ice-time behind Miro Heiskanen.

These are just three examples of players who not only had better individual seasons than Ekholm did, but also enter the upcoming season in a position to be even better. If Ekholm's performance last season happened in any other uniform, he isn't even mentioned on the NHL Network's list. But that's the bump Oilers and playing with the world's best player can do for you.

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