This morning it was announced that Anton Lander will be heading to the KHL next season, agreeing to terms with Ak Bars.
Anton Lander mutually agreed to terms with Ak Bars of the #KHL #Oilers https://t.co/wGdIZvibUX
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) March 23, 2017
According to Aivis Kalnins, Lander will become “one of the highest paid KHL imports.”
Lander has been lighting up the AHL since being demoted by the Oilers earlier this season. In 31 games he has 22 goals and 24 assists. Sadly, he hasn’t delivered much offensive production in the NHL.
The Swedish forward was a second round pick of the Oilers (40th overall) in the 2009 NHL Draft. If the Oilers retain his rights, they could still trade him to another NHL team in the future (like they did with Philip Larsen last year).
Last year I wrote a post asking the question “Is it time to give up on Anton Lander?” My answer then was no, and it’s still no. Lander’s prowess in the faceoff circle and his ability to kill penalties are valuable commodities. Personally, I’d prefer Lander on the Oilers’ fourth line instead of Drake Caggiula or Matt Hendricks.
Losing Lander obviously isn’t a huge loss, but this fan had hoped he’d stick around.
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