Edmonton Oilers Sign UFA Defenseman

The Edmonton Oilers are doing what they can to figure out how to fill the spot left by Oscar Klefbom being out for the season and have signed defenseman, Slater Koekkoek to a one-year deal.

The #Oilers have agreed to terms with defenceman Slater Koekkoek on a one-year, $850,000 contract for the 2020-21 season!

The 26-year-old, left-shot blueliner has played 149 career games with Tampa Bay & Chicago, scoring 7 goals & 22 assists. https://t.co/EVWCAHcD5s

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 26, 2020

The unrestricted free-agent agreed to sign for $850,000 and hopes some steady play can lead to a future in Edmonton.

Last season in Chicago, Koekkoek finished the season appearing in 42 games and chipped in with 10 points. The 26-year-old also showed well in the playoffs and finished the postseason with another three points in nine games.

The move for the Oilers makes a ton of sense as they try put together some depth on their back-end and hope working by committee can help fill the void left by Klefbom missing the entire season. 

As for Koekkoek, he's hoping to land himself a long term deal once this 'showcase' contract is up. The native of Winchester, Ontario has played 149 games between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Blackhawks. Koekoek was the 10th overall pick back in 2012.

Photo credit: Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire

Slater Koekkoek, signed by EDM, is a solid two-way defenceman who had really nice results in third-pair minutes with Chicago. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/fSGixy09Sd

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 26, 2020