Despite what many people may assume, the Edmonton Oilers have a relatively strong defence group. The team has been a well above average defensive team for years now with multiple strong players at this position.
Specifically, looking at all situations data from evolving-hockey.com, the Oilers ranked:13th in corsi against per 60 minutes and 14th in expected goals against per 60 minutes in 2025-26. They also ranked 4th in CA/60 and 8th in xGA/60 in 2024-25 and 3rd by CA/60 and 6th by xGA/60 in 2023-24.
Even still, the defence is one of the areas of the team that faces the most criticism and wrongly of course. So, it is no shock when a reporter from a rival market decides to play on this trope and take aim at the Oilers defensive group heading into the 2026-27 season.
San Jose Sharks reporter and trusted insider Sheng Peng made a recent appearance on the DLLS Stars Podcast "Half of their defense is the Sharks defense from two years ago; Jake Walman, Ty Emberson & Shakir Mukhamadullin and I don't know how that's a good thing..."
Sheng Peng on the DLLS Stars Podcast about the Oilers: ''I don't really get the Edmonton part of it. Maybe you guys can explain like half of their defense is the Sharks defense from two years ago; Jake Walman, Ty Emberson & Shakir Mukhamadullin and I don't know how that's a good… pic.twitter.com/qMQizzFg9b
— R i N K Y (@RinkyReport) September 2, 2026
It is ironic that a Sharks reporter made a podcast appearance on a Dallas Stars centric podcast and decided to take a shot at the Oilers backend. Especially given the Stars and Oilers recent history where Edmonton has defeated the Stars at two of the past three Western Conference Finals appearances.
Oilers' additions have been great
When speaking about the Oilers blueline, Peng mentioned specifically the Oilers adding former Sharks to their backend. By name he mentioned; Ty Emberson, Jake Walman, and Shakir Mukhamadullin.
Although yes, it makes for a quick 'gotcha' moment to point out that a team added multiple players from one of the worst teams in the league, who was actively tanking to rebuild and add players such as Macklin Celebrini to their roster. There is some clear context missing in that analysis.
The Oilers added Emberson in the 2024 offseason, after he played just 30 games for the Sharks the season before. In San Jose, the 26 year old averaged 18:33 of time on ice and since his acquisition, he has played over 70 games each of the past two seasons, averaging 15:07 TOI and 15:31 TOI, respectively. The drop in over three minutes of ice-time per game is a significant difference and one that makes him go from a legitimate top-four defenceman to a safe No. 5 or No. 6 option on the bottom pairing.
Walman is of course the one Oilers defenceman that was acquired from the Sharks who has been a key player in Edmonton. After he was acquired at the 2025 NHL trade deadline, he was thrust into a top-four role, playing primarily alongside former Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse. After a strong playoff run where he scored a combined 18 points in 37 games across the regular season and playoffs, Walman signed a massive seven-year contract extension paying him $7 million that kicks in this season.
Although Walman had a rough first full season with the Oilers that was riddled with injuries, he again saw a decline from 23:11 TOI with the Sharks to just 18:45 TOI this past season. Despite his down season last year, Walman has shown to be a capable second-pairing puck moving option and should be able to provide the Oilers some strong secondary offence from the blueline going forward and looks to bounce back this season.
Last but not least, 24 year old Russian defender, Mukhamadullin who was acquired as a main piece in the Nurse swap this past summer. He has not played a single game yet for the Oilers so we cannot talk about his usage but he goes from a basement dwelling Sharks team where he was a big part of the return for former Sharks star Timo Meier to a much more competitive blueline. If he plays a big role, it is because he earned it but most likely, he plays as a No. 4 to No. 6 defender on the Oilers depth chart.
Although it can be fun to poke holes at rival teams, there are narratives that need to be laid to rest. Like, the Oilers are bad at defence. As well, taking pot shots for a few acquisitions for a team is a lazy narrative to run with, especially when it is without important context.
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