Defenseman Kris Russell reportedly to ditch Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers and forward Connor McDavid in particular enjoyed the best success that they've had in some time, advancing all the way to the Western Conference Final for the first time this past season before bowing out to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. While it was a disappointing end to their campaign, they can hang their hat on the fact that they now have invaluable postseason experience that should make McDavid, Draisaitl and company hungrier to finish the job next year. 

However, the team that hits the ice this fall won't be the same as the squad that won 49 regular season games. Already, there remains rampant speculation as to the future of forward Evander Kane, who was brought aboard by general manager Ken Holland midway through the season despite his off-ice controversies; Kane fit in nearly perfectly with the Oilers and also went on to tally 13 goals during the postseason. 

And now, it looks as though the Oilers will for sure be losing a veteran presence on their blue line, as it's being reported that defenseman Kris Russell will be moving on and wants to play "for a contender"; it would be his first new team since 2016-17 when he joined Edmonton.  

Per Oilers beat writer Daniel Nugent-Bowman: 

"Veteran D Kris Russell can become a UFA on Wednesday," he wrote on Twitter. "I'm told he's looking for a new team and wants to sign with a contender.

Russell had 2-7-9 in 31 games with the Oilers. He played six playoff games. His AAV last season was $1.25M. He's spent the last six seasons in EDM."

Holland will certainly have his work cut out for him this summer, as he'll be tasked with making the correct tweaks to his squad that will entice McDavid and Draisaitl to want to stick around on a long term basis.