Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch Changing Expectations Of Ty Emberson

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Ryan Hall
October 17, 2024 (8:56 PM)

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As the first week of the NHL season ends, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch is lowering his expectations from young defenseman Ty Emberson as trouble has emerged in his game.

Emberson was the main component that came back in the trade from the San Jose Sharks when the Oilers sent veteran defenseman Cody Ceci to the West Coast. Expectations and hype ran high for Emberson as many felt that he could fit in the top four of the Oilers defense.

But according to Alan Mitchell of the Athletic, it appears Knoblauch and his coaching staff have tampered down their views of him and have relegated him to the third pairing and reduced his ice time to around 10 minutes a game.

It's clear coach Knoblauch was less confident in Emberson than his other five blueliners. Where does that put the young defenceman? Sixth or seventh, a far cry from the preseason talk of the second pairing. Allan Mitchell - The Athletic - 10/16/2024

It's been determined that rushing him into those positions would be detrimental to his growth as a player and harmful to the Oilers. The team has instead placed Troy Stecher in his place as he holds some experience and can play those minutes that are required.

It's important for the Oilers to protect Emberson as he does hold a high ceiling and could be a fixture on this blue line for many years to come. The biggest risk is to push him into a role that he can't handle and that he would regress as a player and become a liability which would either see him traded again or demoted. It's important the Oilers do this right.

The Oilers are continuing to work through their issues as their first three games of the season word debacle and started as 0-3. The team is looking to build off its win against the Philadelphia Flyers as they beat them 4-3 in overtime and are taking on the Nashville Predators.