Kulak and Nurse: Duo for Oilers Among Tops In Shutdown Stat

The Edmonton Oilers have been reportedly in the market for a blue line upgrade since the season started. Nothing has come across GM Stan Bowman’s desk that is worth taking a serious look at, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t looking, likely preferring the patient approach to being rushed into a bad trade. Fortunately for Bowman, the results of pairing Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak together provide him more time to strategize.

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Finn Marceau of The Hockey News points out that Nurse and Kulak are leading the NHL’s defenseman pairings in xGoals% at 65.7% (defensemen who have played at least 90 minutes together). They are sitting at the top, tied with Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon of the Minnesota Wild. While this stat doesn’t mean the duo of Kulak and Nurse is all-world and a permanent solution to the Oilers’ defensive issues, it’s a good sign.

What this does mean is that, in a pinch, Kulak can play up on the second pair without issue. There were doubts that he could be a top-four defenseman, having really never been asked to log that many minutes. But, he’s been a gamer, meshing well with Nurse, even though both are left-handed shooters.

Ideally, the Oilers will want a legitimate righty on that pairing or a proven commodity who has no issue playing his off side. Kulak is giving the Oilers a glimpse that he’s that guy, but it’s still a risk.

Kulak Has Proven to Be a Lifesaver for the Oilers

Kulak is on pace for a career year. He’s already notched five goals and his career-best is six. He’s playing more minutes than he’s ever played and he’s making himself indispensable with his smooth skating and hockey smarts. He knows when to jump into the play and he knows when not to. Even better, he’s helping Nurse play like Nurse can.

Thanks to Kulak, Bowman doesn’t have to press the panic button. That’s important because the GM has already acknowledged player agents have reached out saying their players would love to play for the Oilers, assuming they start buying and teams make pending UFAs available.

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