Edmonton Oilers defenceman Oscar Klefbom is weighing his options when it comes to dealing with injuries suffered last season, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Freidman reported Wednesday.

According to Friedman, one of the possibilities Klefbom is weighing is the possibility of surgery that would keep him out “long-term.” While the injuries are unknown at the time of writing, the Oilers have historically struggled without Klefbom, the clubs’ top defenceman, in the lineup.

As Friedman notes, the absence of Klefbom would need to be addressed. It may be one reason why the Oilers have been linked to Arizona Coyotes defenceman @Oliver Ekman-Larsson in recent trade discussions.

Klefbom has struggled with injuries throughout his NHL career and since breaking into the NHL in 2013-14, he’s only played one full campaign without missing any games. That was in the 2016-17 season when he scored then-career highs in goals, assists and points as the Oilers embarked on a playoff run.

Nonetheless, anytime Klefbom is out of the Oilers lineup they are worse off for it. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next week and a half.

On Twitter: @zjlaing