Theodor Lennström

December 2020 – Back in April, Edmonton signed Swedish free-agent defender, Theodore Lenström, to a one-year entry-level contract. Lennström is a mobile player with the ability to contribute offensively and who possesses a pretty good shot. The Swedish defender has recorded a respectable four goals and eight points in 18 games this season for Frölunda of the SHL. The expectation for the smooth-skating rearguard is that he will come into Edmonton’s camp and at least compete for a spot on the team’s bottom pairing. The competition will be tough as Kris Russell, William Lagesson and Philip Broberg will likely all be vying for the remaining left side spot against Lennström. Evan Bouchard, who is right-handed, will also be competing for a spot on the team. Ultimately, we will have to wait and see how Lennström looks once he is here as European free agent defenders have not lived up to the hype in the past (I’m talking to you Anton Belov and Joel Persson). I recommend keeping expectations low for the 26-year-old as his current rank for Frölunda defensemen is fifth in ice time, sixth in even-strength ice time, fourth on the powerplay and seventh on the penalty kill. These are not exactly encouraging numbers so like I said, let’s just see how he looks when he gets here. On a positive note, he has two goals and four points in his last five games and has seen a strong increase in his minutes played in that time. Jameson Ewasiuk