Edmonton Oilers Unexpectedly Place Veteran Defenseman on Injured Reserve

The Edmonton Oilers have been off to an up-and-down start in 2025/26, and one of the biggest reasons behind that has been the blue line, one of the team's major question marks heading into the new season.

With Jake Walman on Injured Reserve to start the season, Kris Knoblauch and the coaching staff have turned to Alec Regula in his place, with the 25-year old appearing in two games this season.

Now however, the talented defenseman will join Walman on the Injured Reserve, as the team officially announced on social media on Sunday that he has officially been placed on IR.

As a result of this decision on Regula, he will be ineligible to return for at least a week, but with Walman's return not being imminent, there's a chance that he'll get another opportunity in the NHL this season.

In those two games this season, Regula didn't find his way onto the score sheet, with a -1 differential playing on the third pairing, but now, the Oilers will be hoping more depth can step up moving forward.

In his place, the team are rolling with the pairings of Ekholm-Bouchard, Nurse-Stecher, Kulak-Emberson, and for a team that's chasing a Stanley Cup in 2026, that isn't exactly ideal.

Ultimately, the Oilers have played well early in the year despite these injuries, and if they can get healthy moving forward, it's safe to say that they'll be a major threat, especially if they can improve the blue line and their goaltending inconsistencies.