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Edmonton Oilers scratch defenceman amid contract talks stalling

Originally posted on Oilers Daily | By Liam McCormick | Last updated Mar 22, 2025 4:06 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers blue line is beginning to look the best it's been in years, but young defenceman Ty Emberson is finding himself falling out of the lineup as a healthy scratch.

Earlier this season, reports surfaced that the Oilers were trying to lock Emberson into a contract around January. Instead, the defenceman fired his agent, and there's been no update on contract talks since.

Ty Emberson finds himself as healthy scratch in weakened Oilers lineup

With the return of Mattias Ekholm from his absence and the addition of Jake Walman, the Oilers defence group is shaping up to perhaps be one of the best in the NHL. Even the third pair of Kulak and Stecher are two reliable veterans.

On the other hand, Ty Emberson's game has slipped in the last few months after a decent start with the Oilers.

The Oilers did take a bit of a risk when they offloaded the veteran Cody Ceci and his $3.25M salary for a much more unproven but promising young player in Ty Emberson. He had only played 30 games in the NHL before joining Edmonton, and then had to learn on the fly with a high level team.

In 65 games with the Oilers now, Emberson has shown he has the raw tools of an NHLer and flashes of being a solid shutdown defender.

For his current price tag of $950K he's bringing great value, but if he is negotiating a significant raise, the Oilers may have enough evidence to pause.

With only 95 games of NHL experience Emberson shouldn't be demanding much in salary, but with the rising salary cap next season, there's room for a larger salary ask.

Because there was traction earlier in the season on contract, then seemingly radio silence after the agent firing accompanied by a decline in his play, it's possible there has been a stall on the contract talks. The Oilers may just be trying to get his number down, using their leverage over the RFA.

Hopefully the Oilers do find a way to get the 24 year old defenceman under a team friendly contract for the next few years as the cap rises, giving them a value deal and a young player in their system for the future.

This article first appeared on Oilers Daily and was syndicated with permission.

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