With the 2026 NHL trade deadline coming up, fans are anxious to see what the Edmonton Oilers have in store. All season long, there have been questions about the goaltending, which they tried to solve with the Tristan Jarry trade. This has since blew up in their faces.
The topic of discussion this month has shifted from a scoring winger to a top-four defenceman who can play the right-hand side. Let’s take a look at a blueliner out of Ottawa who could be available: Artem Zub.
The Ottawa Senators are currently seven points out of a playoff spot with no games in hand. While their goal is to get back into the playoff race, it could also be enticing to sell to get some assets back to fix some deeper issues in the offseason. By far their most valuable piece, realistically, they could trade would be Zub. Big, right-shot defenders are always highly sought after, and a defence with Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, Jake Walman, Zub, Darnell Nurse, and Ty Emberson would be very nice heading into the postseason.
Who is Zub?
Artem Zub is a 30-year-old defenceman with another year after this left on his contract at a $4.6M cap hit. Zub spent five seasons in the KHL splitting time between Khabarovsk Amur and St. Petersburg SKA, winning a championship there in 2017. Zub also made the team for Russia in the Men’s 2018 Olympics, ultimately winning a gold medal there.
Ottawa signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and made his NHL debut in the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic season. Zub had a very impressive rookie season, with a +4 and a 14 point campaign in 47 games. Zub signed a two-year and then a four-year extension during the 2022–23 season which he’s still curretly on.
Zub’s fit on the roster
As alluded to, Zub is a phenomenal second pair defenceman. Analytically, Zub has a xG% of 53.48, a HDGF% of 56.10, a 52.25 CF%, and an actual goal share of 54.67%. The goal share number is eyepopping because the Senators are getting the league’s worst goaltending this season, and yet Zub has been out there for more goals for than against, which is a very good sign.
Zub has spent all season next to Jake Sanderson, who in his own right is an elite NHL defenceman as well. The pair has an absurd 59.5 xG% this season, with them only allowing 1.75 xGA/60. Again, those are ELITE numbers.
Last season, the duo put up a 56.3 xG Share and 55.1% in 2023–24. This shows Zub is the perfect partner for a left-handed puck-moving defenceman that can wheel, like a Jake Walman.
Some of Zub’s weaknesses and strengths
Zub does have one flaw, however. He is not a very good offensive player, which isn’t a knock against him. Yes, he won’t create much offence individually, he’s not going to sauce laser passes like Bouchard or Walman, he won’t rush the puck up the ice like he’s Quinn Hughes, he won’t make a flashy play in the o-zone, but, he doesn’t have to.
His value is his defensive game. Zub is elite at shutting down chances off the rush, whether that’s denying actual zone entries or chances generated off the rush, a key area of weakness for this group. While he isn’t strong at retreiving the puck off dump ins, Walman is somewhat good at them to negate this concern.
Another area where Zub shrines bright is his penalty kill impact and general net front impact 5v5. The Oilers have a tendency to let guys either in the net front or middle of the slot wide open, just bleeding HD chances consistently. Zub does a great job at preventing these in particular, and could desperately help the Oilers penalty kill woes.
Should Edmonton pursue Zub?
While Zub doesn’t fit the mould of the transitional defender Elliotte Friedman and Bob Stauffer have been talking about, he’s such a great shutdown defender on a sweetheart contract for another season that Edmonton should seriously inquire about. He is the definition “mini-Ekholm” that has been floating around the Oilers sphere.
He’d be the perfect long term solution to the Oilers 2RHD problem. A top-four for the next two seasons at the very least of Ekholm-Bouchard and Walman-Zub would be one of the best in the league (ignore the $9.25M man on the third pair).
IF Ottawa truly sells, Edmonton needs to pounce on him. The price would be so steep, but worth it. The Senators likely need a first-rounder since they don’t have theirs this season due to the Evgenii Dadonov ruling, but Edmonton doesn’t have theirs either (Walman trade).
There’s also the salary issue where Edmonton needs to dump someone, possible Andrew Mangiapane? Ottawa likely would covet a young prospect coming the other way as well. Would you guys do Mangiapane, 2026 second rounder, 2027 first rounder, Beau Akey and Alec Regula for Zub? I would. Let me know your thoughts below.
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