It was the news we’ve all been expecting, but the Oilers have officially shut down Oscar Klefbom for the season as he will undergo a procedure to correct whatever is wrong with his shoulder.

It’s been a weird year for Oscar Klefbom. With the Oilers coming into this season with sky-high expectations and Stanley Cup dreams, it was up to players like Oscar Klefbom to step up their respective game to make sure those lofty goals were met. Unfortunately, that didn’t really happen for the big Swede this year (or really anyone for that matter) as he struggled to regain the form that we saw from him just a year ago. Now that we know he’s been battling with a shoulder injury all year, his struggles start to make a lot more sense.

While we don’t know exactly what is going on with Klefbom’s shoulder apart from needing to “clean” it up, there’s no doubt that shutting him down now and giving him as much possible recovery time is the best possible idea for the Oilers. A little more than a week ago, Klefbom underwent a ‘minor procedure‘ to have a look at whether or not he would need to go under the knife for something more significant. Clearly, the doctors found issues that needed further attention as he will now miss the rest of the season.

Over at Elite Prospects, Klefbom spoke to Uffe Bodin a little bit about the surgery and being unable to go to the World Championships:

Unfortunately for the Oilers and fans, the death march takes another blow as one of their best defencemen will be back on the shelf with an injury. After playing his first healthy season ever in 2016-17, Klefbom will head back to the IR with an injury that can hopefully be corrected by the time next season rolls around. Considering his age, contract, and overall skill set, it’s in the Oilers best interest to give Klefbom as much time as possible to recover and get ready for next year.

The death by 1000 cuts continues to pile up.