The Edmonton Oilers have made their fourth signing in as many days. Today, the club inked Swedish defenseman Filip Berglund to a two-year, entry-level contract. Berglund was selected in the third round, 91st overall, of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
In 52 games for Skelleftea AIK of the SHL, Berglund collected a career-high 20 points (5-15-20) in 2019-20. The right-shot defenseman stands in at 6’2″ and 209 pounds. He has played in the SHL since the 2015-16 season, his draft year.
Berglund is a mobile puck moving defenseman who has played on the powerplay in Sweden. He finished second among defensemen in points on Skelleftea a season ago, finishing 16 points behind Jonathan Pudas. He also played with fellow Oilers prospect Philip Broberg.
Berglund’s status for the 2020-21 season is up in the air. While he has signed with the Oilers, that doesn’t mean he will for sure come to North America. Earlier this off-season, he signed a two-year contract with SHL outfit Linkoping. It’s possible that the Oilers will loan him to Linkoping for at least one season.
All this contract does is assure Berglund of remaining property of the Oilers. Edmonton would have lost his rights had he remained unsigned on June 1st. The situation was the same for Finnish defenseman Markus Niemelainen, who signed yesterday.
The Oilers are rebuilding the Bakersfield Condors blueline right now. If Berglund is to come over, there will be a spot for him on the right side. Last season, the Condors employed Logan Day, Joel Persson, Evan Bouchard and Vincent Desharnais on the right side. Persson was traded at the deadline, while Day is a pending UFA. Bouchard could very well be in Edmonton next season, meaning bodies will be needed on the farm.
In all likelihood, however, Berglund will be loaned back to Sweden for a final season before coming over in the fall of 2021.
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