Oilers Miss Brett Kulak After Tristan Jarry Deal Ends Run — Hutson Nhl

hutson nhl: The Edmonton Oilers were done in the first round, and Brett Kulak was gone when the series got fast. After shipping Kulak and Stuart Skinner to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Tristan Jarry during the 2025-26 season, Edmonton did not have the same steady back-end option it had leaned on in earlier playoff runs.

Kulak’s departure in Edmonton

Kulak had been part of the Oilers since partway through the 2021-22 season, and his minutes showed why he mattered. In 2025, he averaged 23:25 in ice time over 22 games during Edmonton’s second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final and produced one goal and four assists.

That track record contrasted sharply with the way Edmonton used the return in the trade. Jarry posted a.858 save percentage in 19 regular season games with the Oilers, served as the backup goalie in the final stretch of the regular season, and made just one start through five playoff games.

Jarry’s role with the Oilers

The deal shifted the roster balance before the playoffs even started. Edmonton had moved a defender who could play either side and had logged 75 playoff games for the club, then entered the series without that same layer of depth behind its top pair.

Ty Emberson was the direct replacement in the lineup picture. He dressed in all six playoff games after Kulak left the roster and averaged 12:11 of ice time, a much lighter load than Kulak carried in the 2025 run.

A faster Ducks series

The matchup itself sharpened the issue. The Ducks looked much faster than the Oilers through five games of the series, and Edmonton was eliminated before it could extend the season beyond the first round.

That result landed after back-to-back years in the Stanley Cup Final, which made the drop-off harder to miss. The Oilers now move into the 2025-26 offseason with roster questions already centered on a trade that swapped out a trusted defender for a goalie who never seized the job.