The Edmonton Oilers must be scratching their heads right about now. After they were pretty much forced to fire Kris Knoblauch, the club and fans saw a former player succeed on the ice. It was former blueliner Brett Kulak who scored a crucial goal for the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night.
With the Avalanche heading into overtime in Game 5 of their second-round series of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, Kulak took a feed from Matin Necas to beat Jesper Wallstedt for the winner. The goal clinched the game, the series, and sent the Avalanche to the Western Conference Final.
That’s where everyone expected the Oilers to be. The Oil, meanwhile, is sitting at home picking up the pieces. They were unable to make much headway this season, with injuries, inconsistency, and all.
And that’s the thing. The Oilers traded one of their most consistent blueliners in the boneheaded deal that landed Tristan Jarry from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jarry didn’t save the team. Kulak, for his part, ended up becoming a trade deadline casualty in Pittsburgh.
Kulak’s landing in Colorado, nevertheless, has been a blessing for both the team and player. Kulak has been a fantastic fit with the Avalanche, proving he’s a great defenseman. So, why on Earth would the Oilers move Kulak in the first place?
The answer to that question reveals just how poorly the organization does business.
Kulak Trade Sign of Management Incompetency in Edmonton
It’s safe to say trading Kulak didn’t even need to happen. There was no reason for the Oilers to move Kulak at all this season. Yes, he is an impending UFA. But considering how Edmonton was supposed to be gunning for the Stanley Cup, jettisoning a player like Kulak just didn’t make any sense.
However, the Oilers panicked. They were going through a tough stretch in mid-December, when this deal happened.
Edmonton was in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the San Jose Sharks, and five points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the division lead. On December 12, the Oilers were 5-3-2 in their last 10. The onus was on Skinner and then-backup Calvin Pickard as the culprits for The Oil’s poor play.
So, the deal happened. The Penguins smartly squeezed Kulak out of Edmonton. The Penguins also got a second-round pick, one that should prove valuable down the line.
Panicking cost the Oilers two valuable assets (this assessment doesn’t really take Skinner into account). Two assets that could have been saved, for one key reason.
Oilers Got Connor Ingram for Nothing
What makes this entire trade mind-boggling is that Edmonton got its starting goalie for nothing. In October, the Utah Mammoth sent Connor Ingram to the Oilers for “future considerations.” That’s hockeyspeak for peanuts.
Ingram worked his way back into the NHL and became the Oilers’ starting netminder. In 32 games, he registered a 2.60 GAA and .899 SV%. The numbers weren’t really that much different from Skinner’s, but Ingram was the guy.
Ingram’s postseason numbers were more of a reflection of the Anaheim Ducks’ talent and the Oilers’ bungling than his incompetence.
So, if Ingram was the guy all along, how much better would the Oilers have been with Kulak in the lineup? That’s something no one will ever know. And it’s just a sample of how bad it has gotten for Edmonton.
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