Kris Russell, a 29-year-old, left-handed defenceman has been patiently waiting all summer for his phone to ring. No one has seemed to show any interest for him, until now. Lo and behold, that team may be the Oilers and negotiations appear to be heating up. 

Bob McKenzie spoke on TSN 1260 this morning and expects Russell to be signing a one-year, $4-5 million dollar contract in the near future. Russell is still speaking to several teams about his contract, however, Edmonton seems to be near the front of the line.

Russell put up 19 points in 62 games last season between the Calgary Flames and the Dallas Stars. If signed, Russell will likely be slotted in the 6/7 position. He has had some success on the power play in the past, and signing him could be the trigger which sends Darnell Nurse down to the AHL. Despite his negative reviews on Twitter, this may be a good thing. 

In my opinion, $4 million is definitely an overpay for Russell, who’s cap hit was $2.6 million last year. However, the Oilers have over $8 million in cap space, so a one-year contract won’t do them much harm. 

Do you think the Oilers should sign him? Signing Russell may be the official farewell to Eric Gryba despite him being a left-handed defenseman? Could the Oilers find something better to do with their remaining cap space? Let me hear it in the comments.