Former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Oscar Klefbom has announced his retirement from professional hockey on Friday.
Klefbom, who last appeared in an NHL game during the 2019-20 campaign, has been sidelined with a shoulder injury which saw several setbacks during the rehabilitation process. The 31 year old blue liner’s contract expired in 2023, and was not signed by a team following the season.
Officially, his last NHL game will have been August 7th 2020 when Edmonton was eliminated from the “bubble playoffs” during the COVID shortened season.
Originally drafted 19th overall back in 2011 by Edmonton, the Karlstad, Sweden native would go on to suit up for 378 NHL games for the blue and orange, registering 156 points (34G, 122A) along the way. Klefbom set career highs in goals (12) and points (38) during the 2016-17 campaign where he suited up for all 82 games.
However, he was on a career high setting pace in 2019-20 before the pandemic affected the end of the year, tallying 34pts in only 62 games.
“It is what it is. As a sport, I wasn’t quite finished with hockey. But now it’s over,” Klefbom told a local Swedish newspaper, Nya Wermlands Tidningen. “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.”
While his on ice days may be over, Klefbom and the Oilers alike have made it clear that there may be some off ice partnerships in the works in the not so distant future.
Edmonton has reportedly “left the door wide-open” for Klefbom to return to the organization as a scout. Ostensibly this would be in his home country of Sweden and neighbouring European hockey markets.
While nothing has been publicly confirmed as of yet, it appears as though the highly touted defenceman may be entering a new chapter in his hockey journey sooner rather than later.
Photo: TheAHL. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.