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Oilers sign Finnish defenceman to one year contract, league leading scorer
Photo credit: SM-LIIGA
The Edmonton Oilers have signed a multitude of European and College free agents now, and have added to the list with Finnish defenceman Atro Leppanen.
The Oilers have also added free agent defenceman Damien Carfagna who could compete for NHL minutes, as well as Leppanen.
Edmonton Oilers sign another European free agents, defenceman Atro Leppanen
The Edmonton Oilers took to social media to announce the surprise signing. According to Oilers insider Bob Stauffer, several other teams were competing to sign Leppanen.
The 26 year old is playing only his second season of pro hockey this year, but completely dominated Finland's top league.
He's a bit undersized for a defenceman at 6'0 and 182 pounds, but Leppanen scored 21 goals and 63 points as a defenceman in his second year to lead the league in points - numbers that show an explosive break out.
Prospect experts thrilled with Oilers signing Leppanen
Oilers analyst Bruce Curlock is extremely excited by the signing with Leppanen's offensive capabilities, but did warn that he can be an adventure defensively. It's usually the case with a smaller offensive defenceman.
Daily Faceoff prospect expert Steven Ellis has called this one of the best European free agent signings this season.
Leppanen signing a one year contract is a gutsy bet on himself that perhaps he could crack the NHL roster within one season with the Oilers.
If it goes well, he could be an exciting offensive addition to the back end, and if not, he'll likely head back to Finland. It's another no-risk signing for the Oilers that will make them a much deeper team next season.
Hopefully, all of these free agent signings together can provide cheap and quality contributions to the Oilers for years to come.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 13 | 501 ANSWERS Oilers sign Finnish defenceman to one year contract, league leading scorer Do you think Leppanen could make the team next season? | ||
| Yes | 325 | 64.9 % |
| No | 176 | 35.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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