Oilers sign UFA defenceman Kris Russell to one-year deal

Darren Millard, Nick Kypreos and John Shannon break down the trade of Nail Yakupov from the Edmonton Oilers to the St. Louis Blues plus the reported signing of defenceman Kris Russell.

The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenceman Kris Russell to a one-year deal, the team announced Friday night.

Elliotte Friedman first reported the deal, which comes on the heels of the Oilers’ transactions with the St. Louis Blues that sees Nail Yakupov head to the Midwest.

The Oilers didn’t include financial terms of the deal in their announcement, but Friedman pointed to it being worth just over $3 million — a slight pay raise from his previous deal, which had a $2.6 million cap hit.

Friday’s signing comes after an off-season of speculation about where the shot-block expert would land, with some wondering if his poor reputation in the analytics community would affect his job search.

Russell should add some grit and experience to the Oilers’ blue line, while his Edmonton deal fits well with the Alberta native’s wish to stay in the west.

The 29-year-old has nine seasons of NHL experience, and most recently played for the Dallas Stars after being acquired by the playoff-bound club at the 2016 deadline.

Prior to that, he spent three years with the Calgary Flames, where he enjoyed 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.

October 7, 2016

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Kris Russell
SIGNED BY
Edmonton Oilers
LENGTH
1 yr
CONTRACT TYPE
Free Agency
SALARY CAP HIT
$3.1 million
TOTAL
$3.1 million

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