Oilers Defender Brett Kulak Gets Promotion, Becoming Major Piece for Edmonton

Brett Kulak has stepped up and arguably has been the Oilers best defenceman early on this season. Originally slotted for the third pairing like usual, Kulak's great play has seen him be promoted to the second pairing pretty often - especially when Knoblauch needs a shut down shift.

Kulak is at a clear disadvantage playing his offside, but he's still producing better results with Nurse at the moment than either Dermott or Stecher have. The Coach seems to have the most trust with Kulak more than any other depth defender at the moment - even probably Nurse.

He's always been the kind of defenceman you hardly recognize, which is often a great compliment to a blueliner. Now that the Oilers blue line is much weaker though, his play is really standing out to fans and media.

His best results are coming from stable defensive play, making a good first pass, and being positioned well in the zone, but Kulak is also scoring more than he ever has. It's obviously just a little bender of some luck and good shots, but Kulak is on pace to score 21 goals. It may not last, but that's definitely a positive.

The vet from Stony Plain is bringing his best hockey at the moment, and at a time when the Oilers desperately need more from the blue line, he deserves the praise for his play. Edmonton's incredibly fortunate to have a stable vet like Kulak in the bottom half of their defence.