If the Edmonton Oilers don’t go out and acquire another top-four defender, newly acquired defenseman Ty Emberson could play a key role for the team this season. Acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the trade that sent Cody Ceci the other way, Emberson comes at a fraction of Ceci’s cost and brings solid defensive metrics, even if his NHL experience is limited to just 30 games.
The question some analysts are asking is, can he play an elevated role and bring what Ceci brought? The Oilers don’t need him to do much more, and if he does, it’s nothing but a positive.
Assuming things stay as is out of camp and pre-season, Emberson is slated to play alongside Darnell Nurse on the top defensive pairing. He will be under pressure to handle a bump in minutes for one of the league’s top offensive teams, but it’s too soon to say he can’t take on the responsibility.
While expectations are high, much of his success will depend on Nurse’s ability to elevate his game and provide stability to his new partner. If Nurse performs at the level expected of a $9.25 million defenseman, Emberson should benefit from that support. All Emberson has to do is avoid making Nurse’s job harder, which some fans believe is why the Ceci and Nurse pairing struggled as it did.
Oilers Just Need Emberson to Limit Mistakes
Emberson’s focus won’t be on point production—he’s unlikely to see power play time and won’t be asked to carry an offensive load. Instead, the Oilers need him to be steady, physical, and reliable, especially on the penalty kill and in five-on-five situations. Nobody will be perfect, but the less he’s noticed, the better.
“I think I just want to contribute in the ways that maybe won’t go as noticed,” Emberson shared as he began his first training camp with the Oilers. If he can deliver on that personal goal, he could prove to be a valuable addition as the team aims for a deep playoff run this season.
In an ideal scenario, he would serve as a solid third-pairing stay-at-home defenseman, but Edmonton may be asking more from him by slotting him into the top four. That’s the downside of running with a tight salary cap and losing some key pieces on the back end. For Emberson, focus on one job and it will likely be his to lose.
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