Edmonton Oilers talking contract extension with Brett Kulak: report
The Edmonton Oilers may not be done signing players to contract extensions.
It’s been a busy week in Oil Country when it comes to retaining players. Things kicked off with a bang on Monday morning, with Connor McDavid inking a long-anticipated two-year extension and then Jake Walman following suit that same day with a seven-year deal of his own.
Mattias Ekholm also signed a three-year contract on Wednesday, making it three important players locked up in the Alberta capital for the next couple of seasons. Before all that, Vasily Podkolzin was inked to a three-year contract last month as well.
Now, there could be a fifth player who could sign an extension with the Oilers, as TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the team has already begun contract talks with defenceman Brett Kulak.
Sounds like there have been some extension discussions with Kulak camp but nothing imminent.
Will be interesting to see which way he goes with it. Free agent D market might be something enticing to explore for him, but his role with Edmonton is important and he has a chance…
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) October 8, 2025
Kulak is in the final year of a four-year deal ($2.75-million cap hit) that he signed in 2022 after being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens at the previous trade deadline. Since then, he has proven to be an exceptional third-pairing defenceman for the Oilers.
His role has rarely changed throughout his time in Edmonton, except for the handful of times he’s had to pinch-hit on the right side of the second pair due to injuries. Otherwise, he’s been incredibly consistent as a third-pair LD who is responsible in his own end and can find ways to chip in offensively.
The 31-year-old is coming off a career year that saw him set new personal bests in goals (7), assists (18), and points (25). Kulak chipped in with a goal and five points in 22 playoff games, but his true value comes from his defensive play.
Edmonton is set to have about $18.7 million in cap space next summer after all these recent extensions, and will have to decide if they want to keep Kulak or give a player like Atro Leppänen a chance to crack the NHL roster next season.
It will also come down to whether Kulak will want to explore the UFA market, as it’s likely he could play in a higher role and snag a higher AAV on another team.