As per The Athletic's recent power rankings article, the Edmonton Oilers have fallen a few spots. Previously ranked at No. 9, they've fallen to No. 14, and two defensemen are taking the brunt of the criticism -- Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm. 

While the early-season struggles can't and shouldn't be blamed solely on these two players, it is fair to argue that both have shown less than they are capable of. 

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They write:

"With Evan Bouchard on the ice, Oilers goaltenders are putting up a save percentage of .880. Regardless of who’s to blame, if that doesn’t change in a hurry, he’s going to end up on the wrong side of the bubble. Sweden benched Mattias Ekholm during the 4 Nations tournament, and he’s carrying around a negative Net Rating at the moment. That’s something to watch."

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Bouchard knows he can be better. After a brutal showing against the New York Rangers, the media asked him about his early-season struggles and turnovers: “That’s definitely gotta get cleaned up, but playing harder will have to be something that I do.” He had a good game against the Chicago Blackhawks, and then another bad outing versus the St. Louis Blues, where he inexplicably stopped playing defense on the game-winning goal. 

Head coach Knoblauch said, “We have to hold all of our players accountable. There’s a fine line on mistakes that periodically happen… if there’s an accumulation of mistakes that are costing us regularly, then yes, we need to hold everyone accountable.” Knoblauch has yet to do so, the rumored fear being that Bouchard won't handle it well and could plummet and dig an even deeper hole. 

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Ekholm is also aware things have not gone the way he might have liked. After a win versus the Utah Mammoth, the defenseman said the group talked, noting 'Enough is enough'. He added, "I can go to myself and say I haven't liked my game at all the last five or six games."

There is some concern that maybe Ekholm still isn't 100 percent after a late-season injury took him out of action for some time in 2024-25. He returned during the playoffs, but he wasn't himself. This season, he's struggled some after signing a brand new extension. 

The pairing of Bouchard and Ekholm was once thought to be the go-to duo that could play first-pairing minutes and take on the tougher matchups. This season, they've had moments where they've been split up, the coaching staff looking for solutions. They're back together now, but there is still a sense of nervousness that things have turned sideways for both players. 

What Is The Reason for the Oilers' Drop in the Power Rankings?

Bouchard and Ekholm need to be better. Then again, so do several players. This is, once again, a team that is relying too heavily on its top guys and the depth scoring hasn't been where it needs to be. 

More than that, the Oilers are finding ways to give points away in contests they should win. Some of that boils down to singular plays -- bad reads or a lack of positioning on a goal against -- but much of that is inconsistency and poor periods of hockey. If the Oilers can't string together a few games where they can honestly say they put in a solid 60 minutes, what happened in October could repeat itself in November, only the Oilers won't be as lucky and pull points away from games they probably didn't deserve to win. 

That, more than the struggles of two defensemen, is probably why the confidence insiders and analysts had in this team is starting to waiver. 

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