Former Edmonton Oilers D Joel Persson signs in SHL, Oilers lose draft pick

Former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Joel Persson has signed a three-year contract in the SHL.

Persson, who was signed to a one-year deal last offseason to join the Oilers, was traded at the NHL trade deadline to the Anaheim Ducks for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2022 and goalie Angus Redmond.

The condition on the trade, as reported by PuckPedia, was that Persson would play 25 games for Anaheim in the 2020-21 season and with his new deal with the Vaxjo Lakers, it appears he won’t be playing with Anaheim.

That means Edmonton loses out on the 2022 draft pick.

While not a major loss given it is just a seventh-round pick, but any asset is a good asset to have in your back pocket.

Persson was highly touted in coming over to North America after some very successful pro years in Sweden. In 101 games prior to joining the Oilers, he scored 65 points and was said to be one of the league’s best rearguards.

He played only 12 games for the Oilers scoring only two assists. It was clear that he was struggling to jump right into the NHL and Edmonton assigned him to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. There, he found his game scoring 16 points in 27 games ahead of his trade.

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