Former Oilers Defenseman Announces Retirement

Oscar Klefbom, who has not played a game for the Edmonton Oilers since 2020, has officially announced his retirement from hockey.

Jan 11, 2020; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom (77) against the Calgary Flames during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Former Edmonton Oilers defenseman, who hasn't played since August of 2020 due to a shoulder injury, has officially announced his retirement from professional hockey. Klefbom announced the news in an interview with Värmlands Volksblad.

“It is as it is. I wasn’t quite done with hockey as a sport. But now it’s over,” Klefbom said, as translated by Pro Hockey Rumors. “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.”

Klefbom, 31, also said he played with the aforementioned shoulder injury throughout much of his seven-year NHL career. Despite not playing for four years, Klefbom was very deliberate in waiting to officially hang up his skates.

“It was a choice I made," Klefbom said. "I talked to Edmonton that I wanted to lay very low with what was going to happen and what the situation is. They were perfectly ’fine’ with that. From my side, it was also because I thought it was so difficult to talk about it.”

The 6-3, 216-pound defenseman was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, though he didn't join the Oilers until the 2013-14 season. In 378 regular season games, Klefbom accounted for 156 points (34 goals, 122 assists) and 74 penalty minutes. He also scored seven points (two goals, five assists) in 16 career playoff games.

Klefbom has been a free agent for more than a year following the expiration of a seven-year, $29.17 million contract he signed with Edmonton in 2016. He spent the final three seasons of said contract entirely on long-term injured reserve.

Hopefully, Klefbom's retirement can help him regain his health long-term.

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