Projecting the Edmonton Oilers defense | Why Darnell Nurse is the x-factor

Entering the 2025-2026 season, the Edmonton Oilers return all seven of their defenseman from last year's Stanley Cup final team and it presents options for head coach Kris Knoblauch. While Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm are likely to reunite, past the Oilers first pair, there are question marks about who plays with who. Host Nick Zararis makes a case for pairing Darnell Nurse with Jake Walman and why the Oilers should give Ty Emberson a serious chance to stick at the NHL level  0:00 Intro: Oilers defense preview for upcoming season4:39 Core players and building a championship team11:46 Analyzing potential defensive pairings15:51 Ekholm-Bouchard pairing and performance stats20:26 Strengths of Oilers' veteran-laden defense24:29 Key questions for Oilers defense this season28:02 Outro: Preview of next episode on goaltendingProjecting the Edmonton Oilers defense | Why Darnell Nurse is the x-factor Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Indeed Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to https://indeed.com/lockedon right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Monarch Money Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnhl for 50% off your first year. FanDuel Download the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com and win $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms… 🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOOilers?sid=YouTube Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More 🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL #NHL #Oilers #EdmontonOilers Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.