Breakout Season for Speedy D-Man Ending Trade Rumors for Oilers

At one point, Brett Kulak was a prime trade candidate for the Edmonton Oilers, as rumors swirled around his potential departure. In August of 2024, it was reported by Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch that the Oilers were exploring the possibility of moving defencemen Cody Ceci and/or Kulak to help clear cap space. With Kulak’s reasonable cap hit and serviceable performance in a depth role, moving him made sense. Even after his steady contributions in the Oilers’ Stanley Cup Final run, speculation continued into the offseason that he might be traded to create room for other moves.

But as the 2024-25 season progresses, any trade talks involving Kulak seem all but dead. Kulak has emerged as a standout in an Oilers defense that has undergone significant changes. With the departures of Philip Broberg, Vincent Desharnais, and Ceci, Kulak has been crucial in stabilizing the blue line, showing he can handle increased responsibility.

Not only that, but he’s stepped in a major way, become a regular partner for Darnell Nurse — who himself is having a rebound season — and Kulak has four goals and seven points in 17 games.

Related: Nurse’s Resurgence with Oilers Lost in McDavid’s Milestone Night

His offensive production has been nothing short of a revelation. Kulak is just two goals shy of his career-high and he’s unlikely to keep up this pace as a defenseman known for his stay-at-home reliability, there’s something different about his game. Much of it can be credited to Coach Paul Coffey, who has encouraged Kulak to jump into the offensive zone and take advantage of scoring opportunities.

Kulak Excelling in a Larger Role with the Oilers

Kulak understands the pressure and opportunity that comes with a larger role. “You’ve got to take advantage of your opportunity and adapt a little bit as you go,” Kulak explained. He has embraced this responsibility, playing a career-high 18:35 per game, more than three minutes above last season’s average.

He has also become a crucial part of the penalty kill, an area where the Oilers have experienced a significant drop compared to last season. After leading last year’s playoffs with a 94.3% success rate, the Oilers’ penalty kill has dropped to a league-worst 61.0%. It’s getting better, but it has a long way to go.

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Head coach Kris Knoblauch has had nothing but positive things to say about how Kulak’s game has turned a corner. The Oilers always knew that if they were to let him go they’d be moving on from someone that had value. But, to see this kind of game coming from him might be a bit of a pleasant surprise. “Yes, he’s looking more like Bobby Orr, scoring four goals in 16 games,” Knoblauch joked. “We’ll see how long that lasts, but we do expect him to play a good all-around game.”

For the Oilers, the team is still going to be looking at upgrades on their blue line and to potentially make a deal ahead of the trade deadline. But, Kulak won’t be going anywhere. He’s earned the right for his name to be moved from trade rumors.

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Oilers, Devils, Maple Leafs, Penguins & Flyers