Oscar Klefbom

Oscar Klefbom Confirms Retirement

August 20, 2024 at 11:35 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 2 Comments

Aug. 20: According to the NHL Alumni Association, Klefbom officially filed retirement paperwork today.

Aug. 8: Former Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom, who hasn’t played a game since August 2020 due to a shoulder injury, has confirmed his retirement, via Rasmus Kagstrom of Hockey Sverige.

“It is as it is. I wasn’t quite done with hockey as a sport. But now it’s over,” Klefbom said (translated from Swedish). “I am very happy with my career. I’m just grateful that I got the chance to play as many games as I did – even though it was as an injury. I gained a lot of trust, got to take part in a fantastic journey. There are really two sides to the coin – because although I am grateful, I would have liked to be here today. On the ice. As a player.”

Klefbom also confirmed he played with his eventual career-ending shoulder injury throughout nearly all of his seven-year NHL career. Regarding the wait to officially announce his retirement, the 31-year-old said: “It was a choice I made. I talked to Edmonton that I wanted to lay very low with what was going to happen and what the situation is. They were perfectly ’fine’ with that. From my side, it was also because I thought it was so difficult to talk about it.”

For a brief time, Klefbom was one of the league’s premier two-way defenders. Selected 19th overall in 2011 out of Sweden’s Farjestad BK, Klefbom remained in his home country for two more seasons before making the jump to North America in 2013-14.

He was mostly an AHLer in his first season, suiting up in 48 contests for the Oklahoma City Barons. But he did get a taste of NHL action, posting three points in 17 appearances. It wasn’t much of an impact, but he’d make a large jump in his development in the 2014 offseason and became a staple of the Oilers’ top four in just his second season in the system.

Klefbom would go on to play 378 games in an Edmonton sweater, scoring 34 goals and 122 assists for 156 points (0.41 per game). He had a career -64 rating, understandable for a player routinely averaging north of 22 minutes per game on an Oilers club that only made the playoffs twice in his tenure. His even strength possession numbers on the whole were positive, logging a 1.4 relative CF% and 50.1 xGF% at even strength, per Hockey Reference. He was a major part of Edmonton’s power play and penalty kill units, especially near the end of his abbreviated career.

The Karlstad native has been a UFA for over a year after his seven-year, $29.17MM contract with the Oilers expired in 2023. He spent the final three seasons of the contract entirely on long-term injured reserve.

Klefbom made clear in his interview that he wants to return to hockey in some capacity, but whether that’s in the NHL or Sweden remains to be seen.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Several Players Placed On Long-Term Injured Reserve

October 11, 2021 at 5:05 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

This afternoon, teams were required to submit a cap-compliant opening day roster to the league. This roster is not fixed and can be changed before a team actually takes the ice for their first game, meaning many players who would otherwise be considered on the team were included in a loan to the minor leagues. That “paper transaction” will not have the player actually report to the minor leagues, as he’ll be back up with the NHL team quickly.

The merit behind these transactions in many cases is to maximize long-term injured reserve relief. If necessary, a team attempts to get as close to the $81.5MM salary cap upper limit before placing a player on LTIR in order to receive the maximum benefit. This year has quite a few players hit the board already, which means they will miss a minimum of ten games and 24 days, though some are expected to miss the entire season.

Here are the players who have been placed on LTIR so far today:

D Jake Gardiner (CAR)
D Caleb Jones (CHI)
G Ben Bishop (DAL)
D Oscar Klefbom (EDM)
G Alex Stalock (EDM)
G Carey Price (MTL)
F Gemel Smith (TBL)
D Brent Seabrook (TBL)
F Bryan Little (WPG)

This post will be updated as more season-opening rosters are announced.

West Notes: Yamamoto, Demers, Olausson

September 12, 2021 at 2:55 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

This weekend continues to be a slow one for the hockey news cycle. With less than two weeks until the start of preseason, teams and players remain in limbo alike on remaining negotiations. One of the more prominent restricted free agents remaining is Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto, who needs a new deal after scoring eight goals and 21 points in 52 games last season. It’s a step back in production after he broke onto the scene in 2019-20, scoring 26 points in just 27 games. But as names like Joel Farabee and Drake Batherson, both decent comparables to Yamamoto, have signed larger, longer-term contracts recently, The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson surmises that this likely won’t be the case for Yamamoto. As the addition of Zach Hyman and Warren Foegele into the picture puts Yamamoto’s top-six role in a small amount of jeopardy, combined with a tight salary cap picture for the Oilers, Matheson suggests Tyson Jost’s two-year, $2MM cap hit deal as a closer comparable for the former first-round pick. As of now, that deal would still push Edmonton over the maximum $4.17MM that they’ll be able to exceed the cap by due to Oscar Klefbom being placed on long-term injured reserve. Edmonton is listed as having a full 23-man roster on CapFriendly, though, and could send players like William Lagesson and Brendan Perlini to the minors to become cap-compliant.

Elsewhere from around the Western Conference:

PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan writes that unsigned free agent defenseman Jason Demers is still skating in Arizona, hoping to land an NHL role for the upcoming season. While Demers was never known for his offensive production, he scored only four assists in 41 games this year and saw his ice time dip below 20 minutes a night for the first time since 2016-17. His defensive game struggled this season as the 32-year-old defender combatted injury but still remains an effective third-pairing option. Morgan also notes that once Demers is done in the NHL, he plans to make a stop in the Swiss National League, noting it’s always had an appeal to him.
The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that Avalanche prospect Oskar Olausson has confirmed his intention to join the OHL’s Barrie Colts this season. Attending Avalanche development camp at the moment, Olausson signed his entry-level contract at the end of August. While he was a first-round pick this last season (28th overall), it was unlikely that he’d make the team out of training camp, and now confirms that he won’t return to Europe, reaffirming the news from late August that he’d joined Barrie.

Oscar Klefbom Unlikely To Play In 2021-22

July 12, 2021 at 8:04 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 11 Comments

During his media availability after today’s Duncan Keith trade, Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland mentioned that the chances of Oscar Klefbom playing hockey during the 2021-22 season are ’very slim.’ The news comes after Klefbom missed the entire 2020-21 season with a shoulder injury, meaning that Klefbom could very well miss two full seasons of NHL hockey.

It’s been a rough road in recent years for the Swedish defenseman. After electing to have surgery during the 2020-21 campaign to repair an injured shoulder that hadn’t healed properly, Klefbom’s last NHL game was August 7th, 2020 against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a huge blow to the Oilers, as Klefbom had averaged over 25 minutes a night in 2019-20 and was blossoming into his prime.

It’s even more unfortunate news for Klefbom, who’s been a long but rewarding project over the course of his career. He’s been fairly productive offensively with 156 points in 378 career games, but he’s also been one of the most reliable Oilers defenders in his own end. Knowing this news may have fairly well pushed the Oilers into the Keith acquisition, knowing that they needed a body that could reliably serve on their second pairing with Klefbom out.

The future now looks rocky at best for Klefbom’s career as a whole. Missing two full seasons without game action in any league is extremely hard to recover from, especially without knowing whether Klefbom’s shoulder will ever actually reach 100%. At this point, Edmonton and Klefbom both can only hope for the best.

North Notes: Klefbom, Chabot, Canucks, Lowry

April 24, 2021 at 1:55 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 2 Comments

Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom has missed the entire season due to a shoulder injury, one that he recently underwent surgery on. While the surgery went well, the blueliner told reporters, including Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, that there remains no timeline for when he’s able to play next season, if he’s able to return at all:

He said I might play again but there’s always going to be risks and we’ll see where I’m at after the rehab and it’s time to make a decision. We’re going to follow up, many, many times. I’m not giving up on the NHL. I’ve been playing with pain for many games for a long time but when you’re at home in your apartment or house and you can hardly sleep or put your clothes on, it gets mentally tough.

Klefbom had been an anchor on Edmonton’s back end coming into this season, averaging over 23 minutes a night over his six full-time NHL campaigns and carries a below-market cap hit at a $4.16MM AAV. However, given the uncertainty surrounding his ability to return at least at the start of next season, the 27-year-old could be left unprotected in this summer’s Seattle expansion draft, something that Klefbom himself acknowledged could make sense given his situation.

Snapshots: Klefbom, Ducks, Fines

March 23, 2021 at 2:31 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 7 Comments

Oscar Klefbom will have surgery on his shoulder in Cleveland on Thursday, according to Mark Spector of Sportsnet. Spector reports that the issue Klefbom is facing is arthritis and the best-case scenario is the defenseman is ready for 2021-22 training camp later this year. The Edmonton Oilers have not yet publicly confirmed the surgery and likely won’t until it is completed.

Klefbom last played on August 7, the game which eliminated the Oilers from playoff contention in their qualification round matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks. He logged over 25 minutes in that game but hasn’t seen NHL action since, missing the entire 2020-21 campaign due to this shoulder issue. The hope now is that the 27-year-old can get back to his old self and continue the strong path his career had been on. His contract with the Oilers will expire after the 2022-23 season.

The Anaheim Ducks have canceled practice for today after a player entered the COVID Protocol, though the release indicates that the game tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild is still on schedule. The Wild also had a player enter the protocol today, though that was Andrew Hammond who did not play in the game last night between the two clubs. It is not clear yet who the Ducks player is, but they will be revealed this evening when the list is announced.
The league has issued fines to both Kurtis Gabriel and Bob Boughner of the San Jose Sharks for the incident that took place in warm-up last night. Gabriel cross-checked Kurtis MacDermid of the Los Angeles Kings and will pay $3,017.24 for his trouble. Boughner, head coach of the Sharks, will pay $5,000 and the team has been assessed a $25,000 conditional fine that will be collected in the event of similar “inappropriate behavior” within the next year.

Trade Deadline Primer: Edmonton Oilers

March 20, 2021 at 9:04 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 7 Comments

Although we’re just two months into the season, the trade deadline is already less than a month away. Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Edmonton Oilers.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle standing between the Edmonton Oilers and their longest playoff run in the Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl era is not their North Division competition, but their lack of cap space. The Oilers are ready to be all-out buyers and compete for a Stanley Cup, but they lack the cap space to do much at all. They are already using Long Term Injured Reserve space and even most of that is already chewed up. Any trade will either have to see salary go the other way or be paired with another transaction to shed salary.

The Oilers have been bold in their waivers decisions this year, placing the likes of James Neal, Alex Chiasson, and Jujhar Khaira among others on the wire. Neal will require waivers again after two more games played, but is not a realistic waiver claim candidate anyhow. Plus, Neal’s off-roster status is currently reflected in their still-lacking cap space. Chiasson and Khaira though would require waivers again to be moved off the roster and there is reason to be believe that the Oilers may not risk it a second time. Could Zack Kassian be the next name they take a chance with? Signed to a long-term contract with a significant amount of salary, Kassian is probably unlikely to be claimed and could open up some space. He appears to have lost his top-six role and may be worth the risk.

The fact that a contender must consider risking their starting players on waivers to open up enough space to add different starting players just shows the dire cap situation in Edmonton. Add in the team’s lack of 2021 draft picks and an organizational philosophy that has been opposed to trading top prospects and it may be difficult for the Oilers to make a big move. With that said, they will find a way to make some sort of addition or two.

Record

20-13-0, .606, 3rd in North Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$0MM in full-season space (LTIR), 1/3 retention slots used, 48/50 contracts used per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: EDM 1st, EDM 4th, EDM 6th, PIT 6th, EDM 7th
2022: EDM 1st, EDM 2nd, EDM 3rd, EDM 4th, EDM 5th, EDM 6th, EDM 7th

Trade Chips

The Oilers’ best chance at adding an impact forward to their roster is by moving out salary to offset the addition. Although the Edmonton blue line may not seem like a top unit in the NHL, they are very deep which could make a roster defenseman expendable. Especially considering the impending Expansion Draft, which could cost the Oilers a young roster defenseman anyhow, there is some added incentive to deal from the blue line. 23-year-old Ethan Bear, who was trending upward heading into this season, has hit a wall in his development instead, recording just three points thus far, seeing a career low in ice time, and even sitting a few games as a healthy scratch. Bear still undoubtedly has value and could be the Oilers’ top trade chip, if they’re willing to move him. Competing for the No. 6 defenseman role for Edmonton this year has been William Lagesson, 25, and Caleb Jones, 23, who like Bear will each be restricted free agents after the 2021-22 season and are eligible for selection in the Expansion Draft. While Jones may have more upside, Lagesson has been the preferred player of the coaching staff due to his superior defense, even recently playing a top-four role. Jones’ contract is also slightly more expensive, which could be considered. Assuming the Oilers use the 7-3 protection scheme in the Expansion Draft and Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom (though not a lock) are protected, only one of these three young defensemen can join them. However, only one can be selected as well. That works out to one of the trio being expendable in a deadline move, especially with top prospects like Evan Bouchard and Philip Broberg pushing up the pipeline as well.

The Oilers don’t have the same depth up front, but as previously mentioned have been willing to take risks on waivers this season to gain cap flexibility. If they feel Chiasson or Kassian are unlikely to clear waivers, they could shop either one to open up space or potentially in a swap. They could also look at moving some of their fringe forward to teams with a greater need for depth beyond their starting group.

Either as a sweetener to move another contract or as part of a return if they’re able to open up cap space, the Oilers will also have to consider moving some of their prospects. Tyler Benson, who has been more talk than walk as a pro prospect for Edmonton, may need a change of scenery after years of being unable to earn a full-time role with the NHL club. Cooper Marody, tearing up the AHL this year and having earned some NHL experience last year, could also be an attractive name. While Bouchard, Broberg, and Dylan Holloway are likely untouchable, would Edmonton consider moving other top prospects like Raphael Lavoie, Ryan McLeod, or Matej Blumel? Would they dip into their deep group of young goaltenders, such as Stuart Skinner, Dylan Wells, Olivier Rodrigue, or Ilya Konovalov?

Others to Watch For: D Dmitri Samorukov ($825K, 2022 RFA), D Markus Niemelainen ($817.5K, 2022 RFA), F Gaetan Haas ($915K, UFA), F Patrick Russell ($700K, UFA)

Team Needs

1) Affordable Top-Six Forward – It may seem strange for the Oilers’ biggest need to be at forward. Edmonton is a top-ten team in goals per game, shots per game, and power play efficiency – arguably a top-five offense in hockey. Yet, that offensive production is heavily skewed towards just two players: McDavid and Draisaitl. A quick look at the depth chart also clearly shows that the team lacks quality top-six wingers, with players who should be above-average bottom-six players instead slotted as below-average top-six forwards. McDavid and Draisaitl deserve to have more talent around them, a need that has plagued the Oilers for years. Additionally, Edmonton faces a path to the NHL’s final four this season that goes through Winnipeg, a team with defensive issues, and Toronto, a team with goaltending issues. In a battle of three elite offenses, the North Division is likely to go to the team that can simply outscore the others. Right now, that isn’t Edmonton, but it wouldn’t take much to shift the scales.

The caveat of course is that without some cap gymnastics, the Oilers cannot be players for any of the high-priced forwards on the rental market (or any market for that matter). The focus must be on bargain buys, adding players who can produce at a high level while being paid at a low level. Among rentals, Bobby Ryan, Erik Haula, Carl Soderberg, or old friend Sam Gagner (yet again) could all fit the bill. Among players with an additional year of term, possibly more attractive anyway, Vladislav Namestnikov, Calle Jarnkrok, Rocco Grimaldi, Curtis Lazar, and Colin Blackwell are all intriguing options. If available, L.A.’s Alex Iafallo is likely the very best value addition.

2) Depth Forward – On the off chance that Edmonton has the cap space and a contract slot left, they could make another move and it should again be up front. Depth is key in the postseason and the Oilers simply don’t have it at forward. They could stand to add some playoff experience, defensive ability, and if possible top-six upside in an established veteran forward. While goaltending continues to be a major long-term need of the Oilers, solving that problem in-season given all of the factors working against such deal make it extremely unlikely.

Oilers Notes: Larsson, Deadline, Klefbom, Russell

March 12, 2021 at 7:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

With the league trending towards more mobile defensemen and Edmonton needing to free up some salary this offseason, Adam Larsson seemed like a candidate to move on. The pending UFA has a $4.166MM, money that could be re-allocated to fill another area. However, Postmedia’s David Staples argues that the 28-year-old has played his way into earning another contract with the Oilers.

Of course, the question will be what price point works for both sides. Despite Larsson’s defensive efficiency, it’s hard to commit that type of money to a stay-at-home player. Something closer to $3MM would be more palatable from Edmonton’s side and would better reflect the current state of the market although if faced with the prospect of a pay cut, Larsson could justifiably want to see what his other options would be at that time. Staples posits that this isn’t a situation where re-signing Larsson could significantly alter their expansion planning either with young blueliners Caleb Jones and William Lagesson standing out as probable targets for Seattle.

Defense Notes: McQuaid, Klefbom, Yandle, DeAngelo

January 16, 2021 at 5:18 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 5 Comments

Although it was fair to assume that the career of Adam McQuaid was over, seeing as he has not played in close to two years, the physical defenseman has officially announced his retirement to CBC’s Shane Ross. McQuaid, who played ten seasons in the NHL but routinely struggled with the injuries associated with his aggressive style, tells Ross that the pain became too much for him to handle and ultimately made him realize that he could not continue playing. “I guess I’ve known for awhile now that I wouldn’t be playing again,” McQuaid said, “It got to a point where I felt like I really kind of tapped out my body.” McQuaid, who spent the vast majority of his decade-long career with the Boston Bruins, still calls the city home and is feeling much better after hanging up the skates. McQuaid was traded by the Bruins ahead of the 2018-19 season that would be his last, which he split between the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Following off-season knee surgery and still feeling pain from a neck injury, McQuaid did not sign with anyone for the 2019-20 season and made the decision not to attempt a comeback this season either. He finishes his NHL playing career just eight hits short of one thousand and also racked up 834 blocked shots and 694 penalty minutes in 512 games. A feared opponent and a Stanley Cup champion, the rugged blue liner can enjoy retirement having had a strong career.

Oscar Klefbom is not retiring, but he is set to miss the entire 2020-21 season with a shoulder injury. Yet, the Edmonton Oilers defenseman still does not have a timeline for his return to action. The player and team decided that Klefbom needed to undergo major surgery to repair his chronic shoulder condition, which has caused him pain and has knocked him out of the lineup on multiple occasions over the past few years. However, that surgery has yet to even be scheduled. Klefbom, who is currently at his home in Sweden, is hoping to have the procedure done with a specialist in Cleveland, but complications due to Coronavirus and its impact on travel and medical scheduling has made setting a date for the surgery more difficult than expected. Klefbom is hoping to go under the knife and begin his recovery sooner rather than later, especially since the length of that recovery period is unknown, but for now will have to wait until the logistics become easier to manage.
Could Keith Yandle’s iron man streak be saved after all? In the long run, probably not. However, TSN’s Frank Seravalli does admit that there is a chance that the respected veteran could be in the Florida Panthers’ lineup when they make their season debut on Sunday. Yandle had previously been told that he was not in the team’s plans and would be a healthy scratch moving forward, as evidenced by his exclusion from the “starters” group in recent practices. However, Yandle was back working with the first-team power play on Saturday and then reportedly met with coaches and management after practice to “clear the air”, per Seravalli. It still seems as though Yandle’s future in Florida is in doubt and his full No-Movement Clause and substantial salary will make it difficult for him to be traded, so Yandle’s chances of extending his iron man streak to the NHL record of 965, especially with the Panthers, is extremely unlikely. However, he could further extend his current streak of 844 consecutive games – the fourth-most in NHL history and most for a defenseman – to 845 on Sunday.
Another established defenseman who is not in his team’s current plans (however briefly) is the New York Rangers’ Anthony DeAngelo. DeAngelo was a liability defensively in the Rangers’ disappointing debut on Thursday and as a result he will be a healthy scratch on Saturday night, reports the New York Post’s Larry Brooks. DeAngelo, 25, is young and talented and New York is not paying him $4.8MM to sit in the press box for the next two years, but perhaps this benching by head coach David Quinn will instill some more defensive accountability in the dynamic defender.

Oscar Klefbom Out For 2020-21 Season

December 21, 2020 at 1:24 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 10 Comments

Though there had been speculation for months, Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland finally confirmed today that defenseman Oscar Klefbom will miss the entire upcoming season. Klefbom is hoping to be ready for the start of the 2021-22 campaign. Holland also explained that Gaetan Haas will miss the start of training camp after being a close contact with a positive COVID-19 case in Switzerland.

It’s tough news for Klefbom, who was dynamic for the Oilers last season, scoring at the best pace of his career (34 points in 62 games) and logging more than 25 minutes a night. The 27-year-old defenseman has only played more than 66 games in a single season once through his entire career and will now miss an entire campaign due to an injury in his prime.

For the Oilers, though they’d obviously much rather have a healthy Klefbom on the ice, his injury may clear up some things financially. The team was capped-out but now could potentially move the defenseman’s $4.167MM cap hit to long-term injured reserve to add some relief. That process is complicated, but Edmonton could now add another free agent or trade for a player to help shore up the back end. Names like Travis Hamonic (whose preference to play in Western Canada should be noted) and Sami Vatanen both immediately come to mind, though nothing is certain yet.

Still, neither of those players have the same impact that Klefbom has shown over the last few seasons, meaning other internal names will likely have to step up. If there’s one player that could benefit most, it’s Tyson Barrie who signed a one-year, “prove it” deal with the Oilers to try and get his career back on track. Barrie has a good shot to be on the first powerplay with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, an enviable position for anyone trying to pump up their point totals.

Ethan Bear, the remaining unsigned restricted free agent for Edmonton, also should have an increased role this season when he eventually signs. The 23-year-old scored 21 points in 71 games last season, trailing only Klefbom and Darnell Nurse among Oilers defensemen.

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