[Signing] Oilers sign Klefbom to 7 year extension ($4.167 mil AAV)

[YoungGuns]

There is still some risk involved, but it is a good one to take with this player because of the money he took.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by YoungGuns

Great move by PC. He will never be worse than a #4 (His contract is in that range) and he is locked up 7 more years after next year. Him progressing is all gravy.

Never say never. Many a young player has come into this league with huge success initially only to fade away. Klefbom hasn't even been a huge success, more just "okay".

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by YoungGuns

He will never be worse than a #4

Don't suppose you have tonights lotto numbers too, do you?

[Enoch Root]

Klefbom has not solidified himself as a top 4 yet - not even close.

He is still in the make-the-team-full-time mode. He has not shown that he is a top 4 defenseman yet - not saying he won't (probably will), just that he hasn't yet.

You don't give young defensemen that have yet to become full time players that kind of money, or that kind of term.

The appropriate deal for him would be 2 years at $1.5 - 2M

This is a joke of a contract and shows that nothing has changed in Oil country - the team is built on hope and potential, not results.

[polak]

Haha an here we thought the new management might fix things. One season is enough to warrant 7 years? LOL.

Oilers gonna Oil.

[codynw]

This is ridiculous to me. He hasn't even played a full season yet. His cap hit is comparable to Brodie, Josi, Hjalmarsson and Hedman.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

I hate to admit it, but Klefbom will likely be around for a while, so the 7 years isn't really too much of a risk. However, if they ever decided to try and trade Klefbom, a contract of that length could be problematic. But let's get real, there are so few quality young defensemen for Edmonton that there's little doubt Klefbom will stay the entire length of this deal.

The dollar amounts are pretty good. Klefbom will likely be a #2/#3 and Nurse will likely be their #1 d-man in another year or so. Throw in Sekera as another guy who can play anywhere from #2-#4 and you have the makings of an adequate top 4. IF Reinhart can figure out his game at the NHL level, then you easily have a decent defense to work with. The problem is they still have Schultz and his 3.5ish million contract and set to be an RFA yet again (likely to want a raise); Mark Fayne at 3.6 for another 3 years (lol); and Andrew Ference on the books for another 2 years at 3.25 million. If you were to ask fans in Edmonton, they think Ference will have a tough time being the 7th d-man this year as his skills are rapidly declining, so he might end up being bought out. Nikitin will be off the books after this year, and I doubt they offer him another contract.

So if you're Chiarelli you are likely thinking of buying out or burying Ference this off-season, having both Nurse and Reinhart to start the year next year in some capacity, and if it doesn't work out you find a better free agent with some money next year.

Here's the defense possibly to start next year:
Klefbom (4.16)/Nurse (ELC)
Sekera (5.5)-Reinhart (ELC)
Fayne (3.6)-Schultz (3.6???)

It's not a world beating group, but it's a heck of a lot better than what they've been working with before, and they have quite a bit of money to put towards an upgrade if they wish to.

We always laugh because it's Edmonton, but I'm prepared to expect Chiarelli to make moves that are at least OK, and this is definitely one of them.

[sharkov]

Could end up being a very good deal in the long run but thats a lot of money to sink into pure potential.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

Here's the defense possibly to start next year:
Klefbom (4.16)/Nurse (ELC)
Sekera (5.5)-Reinhart (ELC)
Fayne (3.6)-Schultz (3.6???)

yeah but this is dependent on all of Klefbom, Nurse and Reinhart having an impact right away. So far, Klefbom has done nothing to suggest he's a 1st pairing defenseman at the NHL level, same with Nurse. Reinhart didn't look NHL-ready last season and was, by all means, a disappointment for the Isles. Trusting him to be a 2nd pairing guy right away would be a tad optimistic as well if you ask me.

The Oilers are basically putting all their chips on three young defensemen to carry them to promised land. It COULD work, but with defensemen, there are usually some bumps in the road.

[burnitdown]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

I hate to admit it, but Klefbom will likely be around for a while, so the 7 years isn't really too much of a risk. However, if they ever decided to try and trade Klefbom, a contract of that length could be problematic. But let's get real, there are so few quality young defensemen for Edmonton that there's little doubt Klefbom will stay the entire length of this deal.

The dollar amounts are pretty good. Klefbom will likely be a #2/#3 and Nurse will likely be their #1 d-man in another year or so. Throw in Sekera as another guy who can play anywhere from #2-#4 and you have the makings of an adequate top 4. IF Reinhart can figure out his game at the NHL level, then you easily have a decent defense to work with. The problem is they still have Schultz and his 3.5ish million contract and set to be an RFA yet again (likely to want a raise); Mark Fayne at 3.6 for another 3 years (lol); and Andrew Ference on the books for another 2 years at 3.25 million. If you were to ask fans in Edmonton, they think Ference will have a tough time being the 7th d-man this year as his skills are rapidly declining, so he might end up being bought out. Nikitin will be off the books after this year, and I doubt they offer him another contract.

So if you're Chiarelli you are likely thinking of buying out or burying Ference this off-season, having both Nurse and Reinhart to start the year next year in some capacity, and if it doesn't work out you find a better free agent with some money next year.

Here's the defense possibly to start next year:
Klefbom (4.16)/Nurse (ELC)
Sekera (5.5)-Reinhart (ELC)
Fayne (3.6)-Schultz (3.6???)

It's not a world beating group, but it's a heck of a lot better than what they've been working with before, and they have quite a bit of money to put towards an upgrade if they wish to.

We always laugh because it's Edmonton, but I'm prepared to expect Chiarelli to make moves that are at least OK, and this is definitely one of them.

Yeah, fair points. It's the large contracts given out to aging veterans in free agency that come back to haunt you (ex: Fayne, Ference, Nikitin). If given the choice either Klefbom or Sekera for the next long while, I'd rather take Klefbom. I'm hoping they break the bank on a long-term deal for Schultz as that will be the type of contract that haunts them!

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

I hate to admit it, but Klefbom will likely be around for a while, so the 7 years isn't really too much of a risk. However, if they ever decided to try and trade Klefbom, a contract of that length could be problematic. But let's get real, there are so few quality young defensemen for Edmonton that there's little doubt Klefbom will stay the entire length of this deal.

The dollar amounts are pretty good. Klefbom will likely be a #2/#3 and Nurse will likely be their #1 d-man in another year or so. Throw in Sekera as another guy who can play anywhere from #2-#4 and you have the makings of an adequate top 4. IF Reinhart can figure out his game at the NHL level, then you easily have a decent defense to work with. The problem is they still have Schultz and his 3.5ish million contract and set to be an RFA yet again (likely to want a raise); Mark Fayne at 3.6 for another 3 years (lol); and Andrew Ference on the books for another 2 years at 3.25 million. If you were to ask fans in Edmonton, they think Ference will have a tough time being the 7th d-man this year as his skills are rapidly declining, so he might end up being bought out. Nikitin will be off the books after this year, and I doubt they offer him another contract.

So if you're Chiarelli you are likely thinking of buying out or burying Ference this off-season, having both Nurse and Reinhart to start the year next year in some capacity, and if it doesn't work out you find a better free agent with some money next year.

Here's the defense possibly to start next year:
Klefbom (4.16)/Nurse (ELC)
Sekera (5.5)-Reinhart (ELC)
Fayne (3.6)-Schultz (3.6???)

It's not a world beating group, but it's a heck of a lot better than what they've been working with before, and they have quite a bit of money to put towards an upgrade if they wish to.

We always laugh because it's Edmonton, but I'm prepared to expect Chiarelli to make moves that are at least OK, and this is definitely one of them.

Klefbom is a number 2 Defenseman? There is exactly one team in the NHL on which that could be true. Fortunately for him, he's on it!

Brutal contract for the oilers. Awesome for the rest of us!

[Hockey_Ninja]

How did he play last season?

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by devo22

yeah but this is dependent on all of Klefbom, Nurse and Reinhart having an impact right away. So far, Klefbom has done nothing to suggest he's a 1st pairing defenseman at the NHL level, same with Nurse. Reinhart didn't look NHL-ready last season and was, by all means, a disappointment for the Isles. Trusting him to be a 2nd pairing guy right away would be a tad optimistic as well if you ask me.

The Oilers are basically putting all their chips on three young defensemen to carry them to promised land. It COULD work, but with defensemen, there are usually some bumps in the road.

Not entirely true. They have a high quality veteran in Sekera, and were right in the mix on Dougie Hamilton as someone to build around. Don't be shocked if Chiarelli moves some pieces at some point to get another established NHL defenseman to play in the top 4. I don't see Schultz sticking around unless he makes massive improvements, so he could be a trade piece with some other prospects thrown in.

[Mike F]

This is nothing short of a big bet by Chiarelli - He put a $30M marker on a guy with just shy of one total season in the NHL hoping he turns into a legitimate, long term, top 4 defenseman. Is Klefbom's ceiling so high that you needed to get him locked in at a reasonable number before his play priced him out of their cap structure?

To me, this ties into the Ho-Sang thread - in both cases, you have something that, in isolation could be seen as not a huge deal (oversleeping and giving a long term deal to a young player), but given each guy's track record (Ho-Sang with authority/rules issues, and Chiarelli with cap management issues) you have to wonder if it's a sign of a fundamental flaw rearing its head again.

[Illuminaughty]

The thing is when you have a lack of NHL experience and that many question marks on how players are going to play at the NHL level, it rarely goes right for every player. To expect all three of those young players to all fill out the top four is optimistic, and likely not realistic.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

How did he play last season?

From what I remember he was easily the Oilers most dependable defenseman. Considering it was his first full season, it made most in Oilers land feel like he was likely to be a top pairing guy going forward.

He passed the eye-test when I watched him, but he still has a lot of little things to work on and he can still be much better.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Illuminaughty

The thing is when you have a lack of NHL experience and that many question marks on how players are going to play at the NHL level, it rarely goes right for every player. To expect all three of those young players to all fill out the top four is optimistic, and likely not realistic.

I think Nurse is all but a lock to be a top 4 defenseman. He's a blue chipper. Klefbom is pretty much already there. The only question mark is Reinhart.

[Street Pharmacist]

He was incredible at the Young Stars

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

From what I remember he was easily the Oilers most dependable defenseman. Considering it was his first full season, it made most in Oilers land feel like he was likely to be a top pairing guy going forward.

He passed the eye-test when I watched him, but he still has a lot of little things to work on and he can still be much better.

The bar was low in Edmonton last year, but nonetheless, he struggled in his own end A LOT.

He simply isn't a top 4 defenseman yet

Not saying he won't be, but he sure as hell hasn't been to this point.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

He was incredible at the Young Stars

isn't 77 games too many for that tourney?