The Edmonton Oilers have had a busy Friday.
Shortly after news broke that Nail Yakupov is off to St. Louis, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman tweeted that the Oilers are planning to sign UFA defenceman Kris Russell.
According to Friedman, the deal — which will likely be made official this weekend — is for one year and is valued at just over $3 million.
(For financial context, Russell’s last NHL contract was a two-year, $5.2-million deal with the Flames, which carried a $2.6-million cap hit).
Rumours of a Russell signing have been circulating all off-season, with the blue-liner reportedly linked to eight teams including his old club, the Calgary Flames.
Last month, Friedman reported that “western guy” Russell would prefer to stay in the west “in a perfect world.”
Russell has spent nine seasons in the NHL, and most recently played for the Dallas Stars after being acquired by the playoff-bound club at the 2016 deadline.
The 29-year-old is known for his shot-blocking, but isn’t exactly an analytics darling.
Prior to his short stint in Dallas, the Red Deer, Alta., native spent three years with the Flames, where he registered his personal best season in 2014-15 (4 goals, 30 assists, and a plus-18 rating) during the team’s surprise post-season surge.
Russell has also played for the St. Louis Blues and Columbus Blue Jackets.
