Today’s morning skate, according to Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now, saw Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman outside the top three lines once more, and it appears he will be a healthy scratch for the fifth time in seven games.
After departing Saturday’s game after taking a puck to the face, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was on the ice. RNH practiced with a complete face mask.
What I think
1. During both the 2024–25 and 2025–26 seasons, Edmonton’s defensemen are playing better than they did at equal strength. However, Walman and Connor Murphy are having difficulty with Mike Babcock.
At even strength, Walman makes more significant personal errors per game (2.56) than any other Oilers d-man, leaking more Grade A chances against. However, Murphy’s rate of individual errors on Grade A against has increased this year, from 1.19 per game last year (the lowest rate of any Oilers defenseman in 2025–26) to 1.73 per game this year, which is the second highest rate on the squad after Walman.
2. What’s wrong with Murphy? In their zone defence system, the Oilers performed more of a read-and-react style under Knoblauch. Murphy is a highly intelligent player who understands how to analyze the game and remove hazards.
However, the d-men are always more hostile in man-to-man coverage in Babcock’s approach. Murphy is having difficulty keeping up with the speed of the game because his boots aren’t the quickest. He finds it difficult to return to the front of the net if the ball moves quickly after a forward he is protecting pulls him out to the blue line.
His puck-moving, which wasn’t strong last year, isn’t going well either.
3. Walman, who is in the first year of a seven-year contract that pays him $7 million a year, appears to be a step behind the action. Although he isn’t a particularly physical player, he occasionally makes a huge hit.
Walman hasn’t thrown a single hit this season, according to NHL.com.
No hits!
That doesn’t entirely fit in with Babcock’s aggressive hockey approach.
With 16, Ty Emberson is behind Murphy, who tops the Oilers defense in hits with 19.
