Free agent defenceman Kris Russell signs one-year deal with Oilers
EDMONTON — Free agent defenceman Kris Russell signed a one-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night and plans to join the team immediately.
The 29-year-old Russell is a veteran of nine NHL seasons with Columbus, St. Louis, Calgary and Dallas. He has 38 goals and 139 assists in 573 games.
The five-foot-10, 170-pound defenceman ranked second in the NHL in 2015-16 with 210 blocked shots split between Calgary and Dallas, and led the league in the same category in 2014-15, blocking 283 shots. He set an NHL record with 15 blocked shots in one game against Boston in March 2015.
He has averaged over 23 minutes of ice time per game in each of his past three seasons, setting a career high in 2014-15 by ranking 21st in the NHL.