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Oilers Scribe Notes Team Might Trade Kris Russell

Allan Mitchell of The Athletic believes the emergence of young stars like Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones, namely Jones, means the writing is on the wall for defeseman Kris Russell.

According to The Athletic’s Allan Mitchell, the Edmonton Oilers might have some players that are too costly a luxury for the team to afford in a 2020-21 season where the team has holes to fill and rookies ready to take the next step.

Allan Mitchell of The Athletic believes the emergence of young stars like Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones, namely Jones, means the writing is on the wall for defeseman Kris Russell.

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Russell Being Surpassed by the Rookie

Kris Russell offers a few great qualities, just not enough to allow the Oilers to keep paying a $4 million salary for what, today, is not much more than a penalty killer. While Russell offers plenty of experience, his numbers have dropped since coming to Edmonton and coach Dave Tippett is using him in far fewer situations.

A polarizing shot-blocking machine, Russell is still quite effective on the penalty kill. But, he turns 33 in May and his slot in the bottom-pair makes him a costly option.

As Mitchell notes, Russell isn’t a puck-mover in a puck-moving league and for nearly the same money, Adam Larsson offers more, higher up the roster. But, it isn’t Larsson Russell is really competing with for employment.

The emergence of Caleb Jones has changed the equation in Edmonton and as Russell’s spot is being surpassed by a rookie, Tippett seems to be more confident in a player that costs far less.

Jones’ underlying numbers — such as shot differential, Fenwick score and goals-for stats — are superior both against weaker and elite-level competition. Mitchell writes:

Based on these numbers (Jones has played almost 600 5-on-5 minutes this season, that’s a large sample) the Oilers are better with Jones in the lineup. Russell’s penalty killing role will need to be addressed but the savings and upgrade in moving to Jones are crystal clear.

Can Oilers Trade Russell?

There may be GM who sees Russell as more than a luxury. Not drastically overpaid and with only one season remaining on his current contract, there may be a team ready to take on his deal to get to the cap floor.

For Edmonton, it might take a sweetener to get the deal done.

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