A former teammate of Connor McDavid on the Edmonton Oilers made a powerful statement about his NHL career as he returned to Rogers Place.
The Edmonton Oilers had a special guest in attendance during their 6-2 loss at home to the Anaheim Ducks. As a former teammate of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl returned to the NHL rink he used to call home, he delivered a sincere admission about his retirement.
The Oilers are mired in a really bad stretch during the 2024-25 NHL season. Edmonton lost six of its last seven games, squandering crucial points in the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
McDavid and the Oilers are still in a relatively safe position, as they are nine points ahead of the first team out in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks. However, if this slump extends further the franchise in Alberta could be in danger of missing the postseason.
It’d be quite the disappointment for the Oilers who finished last season as runner-ups to the Stanley Cup, after falling in seven games to the Florida Panthers. Prior to puckdrop between the Oilers and Ducks, retired defenseman Oscar Klefbom made an honest admission as he returned to Rogers Place, but this time to watch from the stands.
Oscar Klefbom #77 of the Edmonton Oilers skates against the Carolina Hurricanesduring the second period at PNC Arena on February 16, 2020 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“It’s hard to explain how much I want to be on the ice,” Klefbom stated, via Sportsnet. “Obviously, I wish them the best, and I wanted to be there last year in the [Stanley Cup] run, but now I got another perspective on life. I’m obviously not happy about how my hockey career turned out, but I’m happy.”
Klefbom’s career in Edmonton
Oscar Klefbom was selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the 19th overall pick in the 2011 NHL entry Draft. The Swedish defenseman made his debut two years later, during the 2013-14 campaign, and had since become a key player on defense.
Klefbom played 378 games in Edmonton, scoring 34 goals and 122 assists (156 points). His last game had been during the 2019-20 season, but the blueliner didn’t confirm his retirement until this past offseason.
“It is what it is. I wasn’t quite ready to say I was done playing hockey. But now I can finally say it’s over,” Klefbom admitted at the time.
Connor McDavid #97 of the Edmonton Oilers plays against the Florida Panthers in Game Six of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place on June 21, 2024 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Lingering injury
Prior to making his NHL debut with Edmonton, Klefbom suffered a shoulder injury which would go on to be a recurrent theme in his career.
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“ [My shoulder] is pain-free, but it’s just so damn weak,” Klefbom said on August 2024, via The Hockey News. “It’s difficult to rebuild. I’ve had five or six operations. I’m partly made of titanium now and I’m half ‘Robocop’, so it will probably take me a while to get some strength and everything.”
