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Defenseman Kris Russell remains an unrestricted free agent, and NHL Insider Bob McKenzie was on Edmonton’s TSN 1260 Monday morning discussing a tweet sent out Sunday evening by morning show host Dustin Nielson.

Oilers reached out to Kris Russell a couple of days ago. Expect the two sides to start talking numbers/term etc as early as tomorrow. — Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) September 19, 2016

“I think he probably would be a decent fit for the Oilers, especially on a short-term deal. And that’s obviously the key,” said McKenzie. “I think it’s not absolute given, but I won’t be surprised if when Kris Russell signs he signs a one-year contract. I’m just guessing here – and it is a guess – I’ve got to figure that it’s probably going to be worth somewhere between $4-5 million dollars a year.

“Now, he was a guy that was in July probably looking for at least a five-year deal at $5 million or more. That’s certainly, I think, what he was looking for from the Calgary Flames to re-up last year before they traded him to Dallas.

“And then he got traded to Dallas. He didn’t play exceptionally well. The Stars didn’t play exceptionally well defensively. Analytics people will tell you that he doesn’t have good numbers, and maybe that chilled the marketplace. Maybe the lack of success in Dallas chilled the marketplace. Also, maybe the expectation that you would have to come – a lot of people are comparing it to the Cody Franson year, where Franson kind of got left out in the cold in free agency. Expected to get a four or five-year deal for more than $5 million a year. It never materialized.

“Everybody just assumes, ‘That’s what the guy is looking for. We don’t have it. We’re not going to do it.’ So they never pick up the phone and call him. They make other moves, and then suddenly the music stops and it’s now July 15th. It’s now July 31st. Holy Mackerel. It’s now September. And he still doesn’t have a spot to go. Suddenly the five-year deal is off the table for almost every team. Teams are now looking at a one-year deal. Russell is saying to himself it probably makes sense to maybe do a one-year deal and then go back to the free agent trough next summer. With expansion Vegas coming in, there’ll be teams that lose defensemen in the expansion draft. Suddenly the market will heat up again for him.

“So I could see where the Oilers would be interested. They’ve got a hole in the Top 4. I mean, I think they intend to play Klefom and Larsson as their top pair. I think Andrej Sekera is a Top 4 defenseman. He’s certainly being paid like one by the Edmonton Oilers. But when you look at Nurse, Davidson, Reinhart, Fayne, Oesterle and all of these other guys – for me, they’re all more third-pairing guys. So who’s playing with Sekera? Well, you can play one of Davidson, Reinhart, Fayne, or Oesterle in that hole, but it’s not ideal.

“So to bring in a veteran guy – if you can get him on a one-year deal and if the money makes sense – I could see why the Oilers would have interest in a guy like Kris Russell, and I could see why Kris Russell might have interest in a team like the Edmonton Oilers.

“But he’ll have to weigh that. He’s still talking to as many as eight teams. The Calgary Flames are still interested in having him back because they’ve got the same problem on their blueline. They have a hole in their Top 4. So whether they play Giordano with Brodie, or whether they play Giordano with Hamilton – those are their top three, and then there’s a big drop-off to Jokipakka-Wideman on their third pair. So Calgary has also got the same problem on the blueline and they’re talking to Russell too, I would imagine.”

Source: TSN 1260/ Transcript: Nichols

McKenzie: Russell ‘probably would be a decent fit for the Oilers’