Oilers send young defenceman down to AHL, avoid waivers assignment

The Edmonton Oilers are sending defenseman Alec Regula down to the AHL.

The Oilers picked Regula off waivers from the Boston Bruins on December 11, 2024, and later gave him a two-year contract extension worth $775,000 a year. Edmonton seemed to be excited about him, but this season he hasn’t played much, only appearing in 5 games since the start of January.

Now, the team has confirmed that Regula will be moving to the AHL.

Oilers insiders say Alec Regula is being sent to the AHL.

One fan who knows a lot about the Oilers and has previously shared accurate news about player moves has suggested that Regula will go on waivers when the Olympic break is over. Edmonton Journal insider Jim Matheson has supported this idea.

This move comes just a day after Matthew Savoie was also sent to the AHL. Reporters close to the team say that there might be more player cuts coming soon, with Andrew Mangiapane and Mattias Janmark possibly being affected.

So far this season, at 25 years old, Regula hasn’t shown that he can compete at the NHL level.

He still has the talent that could make him a good NHL player in the future, but lately, he has been a burden for the Oilers. In 29 games this season, Regula has a poor -16 rating.

This move will give Regula a chance to play some games after being inactive for almost a month. Because of the way this is set up, he will need to come back to the Oilers within two weeks, but he won’t have to go through waivers.

The Oilers clearly had high expectations for Regula this season when they started him in a key defensive role next to Darnell Nurse.

They should still have faith in him and hope that he clears waivers to remain part of the team. Regula is a big player at 6’4, has good movement, and plays as a right-handed defenseman, which is a valued position.

But at this point, the Oilers just can’t keep Regula in their lineup and don’t have a place for him right now.

We will pay attention in the next few days to see if the Oilers make this expected player move, and possibly add another right-handed defenseman for backup.