Oilers release veteran defenceman from his PTO

Ahead of the NHL's roster submission deadline at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, the Edmonton Oilers have decided to release veteran defenceman Jason Demers from his professional try-out contract, making him an unrestricted free agent once again.

Demers, 34, appeared in four games during the pre-season with the Oilers and played quite well. He put up two points (one goal, one assist) and had four shots on goal. He was likely squeezed out of a roster spot due to cap reasons and not being guaranteed playing time as the Oilers have Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci and Evan Bouchard all on the right side of their d-core.

The Dorval (Quebec) native spent the 2021-22 season in the KHL after parts of 12 years in the National Hockey League. In five games for AK Bars Kazan, Demers had one assist and four penalty minutes. He also added one assist in four playoff games.

With the NHL not going to the Olympics, Demers was named to Canada's roster, appearing in all five of their games, putting up two assists and was a plus-seven.

It's unclear what the future holds for Demers, whether he'll head back overseas or will retire, but he's had a long career and has been a solid second-pairing guy. One team that could look at bringing him in is the Montreal Canadiens, who are in need of a veteran right-shot defenceman to play on their bottom pair.

The #Oilers have loaned forwards Devin Shore & James Hamblin to the @Condors in addition to releasing defenceman Jason Demers from his professional tryout (PTO).— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 10, 2022

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