Former Oilers Blueliner Calls It A Career

It was announced on Thursday that Oscar Klefbom, an ex-defenseman for the Edmonton Oilers, is hanging up his skates at the age of 31. We all saw it coming, but now it’s been made official.

Drafted 19th overall by Edmonton in 2011, the same summer as the Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Draft, Klefbom played in 378 NHL games and put up 156 points. He also had 7 points in 16 Playoff games. In Round 1 against the San Jose Sharks in 2017, the season where the Oilers ended a 10 year Playoff drought, he scored the franchise’s first Playoff goal since Fernando Pisani in Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. He hasn’t played an NHL game since the 2019/2020 season due to a shoulder injury that has only been worsening over the years.

Klefbom was their version of Mattias Ekholm before they traded for the real Mattias Ekholm. He is a solid two-way defenseman, good in his zone, and could also chip in for offense. While lacking credit leaguewide for the improved defensive play on the Oilers, this injury was a long-term blow to the franchise. That, and Adam Larsson’s UFA departure for personal reasons, held previous Oilers GM Ken Holland back from upgrading the team’s group of 6 on defense. His sweetheart contract was a bonus, $4,167,000 per season for eight years, signed in 2015. The team’s salary cap total would’ve looked much more favorable to Oilers fans.

We wish him a happy and healthy retirement. If that shoulder didn’t end his career… Oh, what may’ve been.