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The Edmonton Oilers announced via Twitter the re-signing of 25 year old RW Patrick Russell to a one-year contract. Terms haven’t been released as of yet, but if his last deal is anything to go by, it’s a two-way deal in the neighborhood of $1MM with the big club and ~$100K in the minors. See the official release:
The #Oilers have signed Patrick Russell to a one-year contract. The forward recorded 27 points (14G, 13A) in 68 games with the @Condors last season. pic.twitter.com/fDcTYwSvgq
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 8, 2018
As noted above, Russell hit career highs in the AHL last year, with 14-13-27 in 68GP, good for fifth on the team. Given Russell is already 25 and likely most of what he will ultimately become, there isn’t much chance he sees time in an Oilers jersey beyond training camp.
Russell was signed after going undrafted and plied his trade in the NCHC for two seasons, scoring 30-36-66 in 81GP with St. Cloud State. In his two professional seasons, Russell has tallied 22-22-44 in 136GP.
I’d like to dive a little deeper but AHL stats, especially those that skew fancy, tend to be hard to come by. That said, Colin Cudmore created a nice little viz that was making the rounds on twitter:
Patrick Russell --> EDM 1-year contract
— Colin Cudmore (@CudmoreColin) June 8, 2018
In the realm of mediocre-to-not-good. At least he played better in his sophomore season, although you'd hope for a bit more at age 25. pic.twitter.com/zW1QzxvvhK
Most likely, Russell will continue patrolling the right side on the farm somewhere in the middle-six. Though, the Oilers RW depth does leave a lot to be desired, and this team has been known to give Lennart Petrells work sometimes, so who can say for sure?!