The Edmonton Oilers have signed defenceman Jason Demers to a one-year, two-way contract, the club announced Sunday.
Demers, 34, joined the Oilers ahead of training camp on a professional tryout, but the club never signed him to an NHL deal. Instead, he inked a professional tryout and has started the years with the Oilers’ affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.
A veteran of 699 NHL games, Demers has been looked to as a leader on a young Condors club. He’s appeared in 24 games this season scoring nine points, all assists, and is tied for second in team scoring among defencemen.
As part of the signing, the Oilers placed Demers on waivers with the purpose of assignment to the Condors.
Demers becomes the 44th contract on the Oilers’ book this year and is a nice nod to the work he’s put in so far this season. In the grand scheme of things, Demers is an unlikely callup unless there are some injuries. In the same breath, there’s a world where he could be called up at some point. We’ve seen the issues the Oilers have had defensively, and Demers has always been a staunch defender in his own zone. I don’t think he’s anything close to being an answer, however.
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