Oilers make two trades in response to offer sheets

Oscar Klefbom officially retires, has a job offer as a Swedish scout for the Oilers

Almost two weeks ago former Oilers defenceman Oscar Klefbom officially announced his retirement, even though he hasn't played since the 2019-20 season. Klefbom was probably the best puck moving defenceman the Oilers had iced since Chris Pronger in the 2005-06 season. His career sadly only lasted 378 games, all with the Oilers, when it was tragically cut short by shoulder injuries. Klefbom formed a formidable tandem on the top pairing with Adam Larsson for many years. His contract was put on LTIR and didn't expire until 2023.

When asked why he took so long to make it official, this was his official response:

"“It is as it is. I wasn’t quite done with hockey as a sport. But now it’s over,” Klefbom told Hockey Sverige, according to Google Translate 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.”"

- Oscar Klefbom

Before Evan Bouchard arrived on the scene, Klefbom was the original Oiler with a booming shot - affectionately nicknamed the "Klef Bomb."

It must sting that Klefbom's career was cut short right when the Oilers became a playoff contender. He did suit up for 16 playoff games in his career but didn't have a chance to take the team on his back because those teams were vastly inferior to the Cup contender we cheer for today.

OilersNation reported last week that Klefbom has been offered a job by the Oilers as their official scout in his native Sweden. He has said he's itching to stay in the game somehow but hasn't officially accepted the job yet as we've heard.

As good as the Ekholm-Bouchard pairing is on the top pairing for the Oilers, Klefbom is only 31 years old so if those injuries hadn't cut his career short he would still be playing for the Oilers this season - imagine what a lethal pairing Klefbom-Bouchard would've made as our top pairing....

Don't feel too sorry for him though - he's sitting on a $31.5 million fortune from his playing career so he's set for life now - assuming he hasn't been reckless with his money over the years.