Oilers’ hunt for ideal No. 2 beside Bouchard remains unfinished

In Edmonton, the blue-line debate is already taking shape: the Oilers have found their No. 1 defenceman in Evan Bouchard, but the search for a stable No. 2 beside him is ongoing. Through the opening games of the season, Bouchard has carried a heavy workload while associate coach D.J. Smith experiments with different partners on his right side.

Smith, who oversees the defence, has seen this pattern in several NHL stops, from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings. Wherever he has coached, top forwards have needed a defenceman who can get them the puck quickly and accurately. In Edmonton, that primary puck-mover is clearly Bouchard, whose minutes reflect the trust the staff has in him.

Bouchard entrenched as No. 1, Ekholm no longer a full-time workhorse

Early on, Bouchard is averaging more than 25 minutes a night, including heavy even-strength usage, and is already over 50 minutes played with Connor McDavid in three games. At 26, he profiles as the kind of top-pairing defenceman many NHL teams lack, capable of handling big minutes while driving offence.

For the past four seasons, Mattias Ekholm has been the near-automatic partner for Bouchard, arriving as an ideal No. 2 and playing shift-for-shift with him. Now 36, Ekholm still contributes effectively, but not at the 25-minute pace against top competition he once managed. General manager Stan Bowman entered the season hoping to shave some of those minutes as Ekholm begins a new three-year deal with a modest $4‑million salary, seen as favourable for the club.

Shea, Walman and Murphy rotate beside Bouchard

With no new, clear-cut No. 2 defenceman added over the summer, Smith has turned to a by-committee approach. Over the course of a game, he steals a handful of shifts from Ekholm next to Bouchard and hands them to Ryan Shea or Jake Walman. In four-on-four situations, Shea sometimes lines up with Bouchard, while Ekholm is paired with Connor Murphy to handle the opposition’s best forwards.

Smith points out that as veterans age, their value often concentrates in specific, high-pressure moments. He views Ekholm and Murphy as among the hardest defencemen to score on late in games, envisioning scenarios where Shea and Bouchard form an offensive-leaning pair while Ekholm and Murphy take the toughest defensive assignments in the final minutes.

So far, though, Walman has not started the season in a way that clearly cements him as part of the long-term solution. The coaching staff knows what it has in Bouchard, Ekholm and Murphy; the question is whether one of the other options can consistently meet the demands of a top-pair role.

Redefining what a No. 2 defenceman looks like

For years, many teams pictured the ideal partner for a No. 1 as a rugged, physically imposing presence, similar to Brent Seabrook alongside Duncan Keith or a younger Ekholm. That template is being re-examined in a league where skating and mobility are essential. Former coach Mike Babcock remarked that he still values defencemen who can be physically intimidating and competitive while moving the puck, describing that blend as something special.

Smith agrees that the position has evolved. With stricter rules on obstruction, defencemen who cannot skate simply cannot defend at today’s pace, yet players who cannot defend also cannot stay in the lineup. The Oilers’ search for Bouchard’s ideal running mate remains a work in progress, and the team may eventually explore the trade market closer to spring if internal options fail to fully emerge. For now, Smith has a mix of profiles to work with as Edmonton tries to turn a long-criticized defence into a strength.