"It was a shock at first, I'm not going to lie about that," said Larsson. "It's always sad to leave your buddies you had for five years, but as soon as I knew it was this team, what they're going to do and what they're capable of I was pretty happy.

"Both [Klefbom] and Anton [Lander] reached out to me (not long after the trade was announced). To get traded here, where you know you have two friends, it's obviously helped the adjustment… I was really excited when I knew I was going to come here and play with these two guys and this team."

From the same agent, to the same draft year - where the Swedish blueliners were selected 14 picks apart - Klefbom and Larsson have finally had the chance to be paired together.

"As a pair they're able to complement each other," said Oilers Head Coach Todd McLellan. "They're able to communicate quickly and the lefty-righty [positioning] helps."

With his big frame, combined with what Chiarelli has described as an impressive hockey sense, Larsson's physical game exemplifies that he's a player who isn't afraid to initiate contact.

"I don't like to think about the opponent too much, I just try to go out there and play, play my game," he said. "Obviously, I'm a big body, so I should use it. Playing with Klef helps too, as my countryman, so it's been a lot of fun."

Larsson blasted a point shot past countryman Henrik Lundqvist for his first goal with the Oilers during Thursday's game against the New York Rangers.

Averaging a little more than 20 minutes of playing time per game, he has posted one goal and two assists with a +1 rating thus far.

The blockbuster trade may have brought an air change for the defenceman, but the time has come to get down to business, no longer trying to navigate the once unfamiliar circumstance that brought him here.

"I came in at the right time in this locker room," he said. "I don't know if there's a more skilled lineup than this one in the league. They've got so much talent, so I was pretty happy to be a part of this young group. Like I said, it's always sad to leave but it's a part of the business - you kind of have to be ready for it. I didn't really look back after that and it's been a lot of fun so far."