It hasn’t been made official (we don’t believe) but according to comments by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the 31 Thoughts podcast alongside Jeff Marek, Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mike Green is set to retire.
Green joined the Oilers as part of a deal at this year’s trade deadline and played only two games for the franchise. He opted out of the NHL play-in games and his future in Edmonton was in question as an unrestricted free agent. But, as an NHL defenseman who had 880 regular season games under his belt and 76 career playoffs games, Green will leave a decent legacy as one of the game’s more gifted offensive defensemen.
Should Green actually be retiring, he’ll leave the game a two-time NHL all-star and one of the best offensive defencemen in the late 2000’s. His run with the Washington Capitals was amazing, even if the tail end of his career was less productive. He had two 70-plus point seasons between 2008 and 2010 and finished second in the Norris trophy voting in those two seasons. He scored 150 goals and 501 points over 15 separate seasons.
For Now, Let’s Call This a Rumor
There’s been no official announcement from Green, the Edmonton Oilers or the NHL about the defenseman’s decision to hang up the skates. So, for now, we’ll just say this is an unofficial report that might make sense considering Green’s decision not to play in the postseason.
There was talk that the Oilers might be interested in retaining Green on a one-year, low-cost contract. But, if the cost is too low, it would be logical to assume Green would simply choose to call it quits and stay with his family.
Next: Will Rask’s Decision to Leave Lead to a Trade Out of Boston?
