Oilers face tough decisions with defenseman Alec Regula – Hockey Writer – Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers had problems with Alec Regula. This is a good question, but the question is still a question.
Regula, 25, has impressed in four games against the Oilers this season. The 6-foot-4 defensive player is sized and within reach, and can move the puck. He also plays the right side and has a very affordable contract with an average annual interest rate of $775,000. In short, he seems to fit well.
Suddenly, Regula looks like someone the oily guy might want to have around. The problem is, they really don’t plan for it. Of course, he wasn’t one of the defenders of the opening roster of Edmonton’s season.
The oiler must decide next week whether to keep Edmonton in Edmonton or to assign him to the Bakersfield Condor of the American Hockey League (AHL). In the latter case, Egra will have to clear the exemption. And, when he plays this season, he probably won’t be heading to Bakersfield without one of the other 31 teams in the NHL.
This is the dilemma faced by the oil man. Although if you are familiar with Regula’s story, the latest chapter is unexpectedly and fun, which is the standard for the course.
Regula’s journey to Edmonton
In 2018, he was a member of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, but Regra was selected 67Th Overall, Detroit Red Wings. A year later, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, who was under the management of current oiler general manager Stan Bowman.
Regula appeared in 22 regular season games with the Blackhawks in three seasons from 2020-21 to 2022-23, and he spent most of his time with the Rockford Icehogs.
In June 2023, the Boston Brown Bears acquired Regula in a deal with Chicago. He was taken to Providence Bruis in the AHL, played 55 games in 2023-24, and then suffered an injury that resulted in knee surgery.
After spending the first two months of last season on injured reserves, Boston abandoned Regula for the purpose of assigning it to the AHL. Injured players are not usually allowed to waive waivers, but Regula signed a deal to recover in Providence. That was when the oil people poured in.
At the time Edmonton declared Regula, it was thought that he was approaching action. But this has never happened, and for the rest of 2024-25, the defense is still in the reserves of injured.
Regula’s surprise preseason
When Regula faced the Calgary Flames at the Rogers Center on September 21, it was a year and a half since his last professional hockey game, nearly three years after his last NHL regular season game.
Given this, no one really knows what will happen, but it’s safe to say that the Oilers didn’t expect that Regula looks so good, especially if it won’t be like that soon. The idea is that the oiler can send Regula to the AHL and feels very confident that he will clear the waiver.
Related: 5 Things to Do About New Oilers Defender Alec Regula
Instead, with a great preseason performance, Regula could fall into the bounds of many teams. In fact, his NHL stock may be as high as ever. If Regula waives the waiver, there is a good chance he won’t go to Bakersfield. There have been speculation that the brown bears would happily snatch their prospects from the oilers.
The choice of oil workers
The oiler has invested in Regra’s recovery for several months and believes Michigan natives are enough to sign him to sign a two-year two-way contract last spring. They don’t want to lose him, especially nothing.
If the Oilers keep Regula in Edmonton, they need to make room for him on the roster. This means throwing away one of the regulars, Ty Emberson or Troy Stecher, to the right of the blue line.
Just like Regula, Emberson and Stecher must clear the immunity before being assigned to Bakersfield. Just like Egra, while Scheer may be more likely to be asked for it, he may be more likely to be asked. At the age of 31, Stecher has reached his potential and on most teams he is no better than 6Th Or 7Th Defensive player.
Oilers can also seek trade in emberson or stecher. Emerson will certainly get some interest in the market. He is still only 25 years old and has made significant progress in last year’s game. Emerson only participated in 30 professional NHL games before working with the Oilers 76 times in 2024-25.
Bowman will make some fascinating lineup decisions over the next few weeks. Regula’s fate is at or near the top of the list.
Meanwhile, the Oilers have only two other preseason games to evaluate their players: Wednesday (October 1) against Seattle’s Clare Commitment Arena, and Friday (October 3) against Rodgers Arena.
