:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60962235/969598608.jpg.0.jpg)
Andrej Sekera will miss a considerable chunk (if not all) of the 2018-19 NHL season recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Rather than try to make a big splash with a trade, Oilers GM Peter Chirealli signed defenceman Jakub Jerabek to a one year deal.
The #Oilers have signed Jakub Jerabek to a one-year contract. The 27-year-old Czech defenceman split time between Montreal & Washington in 2017-18, including two playoff appearances with the Capitals. pic.twitter.com/szTK67Ltt2
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) August 20, 2018
We have confirmed that the #Oilers signed Jerabek for 1 Year $1M. He will be UFA after deal, and is rep'd by @walsha of @OctagonHockey https://t.co/qsF4v92NSi pic.twitter.com/WjbhGHN7kk
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) August 20, 2018
The 27 year-old Jerabek isn’t exactly a household name in the NHL. He spent eight years in the Czech League before one year in the KHL during the 2016-17 season. The Montréal Canadiens signed him to a one year deal as a free agent in 2017. Eleven points in seventeen games with the Laval Rocket (AHL), Jerabek played in a couple dozen games with the Canadiens before being sent to the Capitals, where he would suit up for 11 games (plus 2 playoff games).
The 5’11”, 200 pound Jerabek averaged just over sixteen minutes in 36 games last season. He scored two goals and had six assists for eight total points. He had 33 shots last season, or just a little bit under one shot a game. He finished with a 6.1 S%.
RE: OILERS 2018-19
Jerabek could put the points up in the Czech league, and he fared well in his one year stint with Podolsk Vityaz (KHL) where he finished fourth in the KHL among defensive scoring. Eight career points in the NHL might not have you screaming about what a player this guy is, but he’s a decent bet if he comes in at around one million this year. Assume the Oilers work out a deal with Darnell Nurse, and a left side of Klefbom-Nurse and Jerabek is thin, but it will likely help keep Evan Bouchard in Junior for a year as Kris Russell can flip to 3RD. Add Kevin Gravel to the mix, and the left side has a couple of bodies with at least some NHL experience on them.
A low-risk, (likely) low-cost signing for the Oilers. This player is not going to replace Andrej Sekera, but it’s a body with some NHL experience that shouldn’t cost a boatload.