With injuries to the blue line and contracts piling up, general manager Peter Chiarelli has some decisions to make. Andrej Sekera will be out 6-9 months with a torn ACL, meaning the Oilers will kick off the season without one of their top four defencemen.
In turn, this leaves the Oilers with questions regarding their defence. Kris Russell is set to become an unrestricted free agent but came in clutch for the team as a top-four substitute. He’s a versatile player who can play the right or left side and is a shot-blocking machine. With Sekera’s injury, many believe that signing Russell is the only option moving forward.