Oilers reportedly move on from Virtanen, bring in veteran defenseman on PTO

According to Sportsnet's Mark Spector, the Edmonton Oilers no longer have interest in Jake Virtanen, and have instead shifted their focus to the back end, inviting defenseman Jason Demers to camp on a professional tryout offer (PTO).

The Oilers had been one of several teams who expressed interest in Virtanen, though reports suggested they were only interested in giving him a PTO rather than a guaranteed contract. The 26-year-old didn't seem eager to accept, as he is still hoping to get a contract from one of the other interested organizations.

As mentioned above, the Oilers have instead decided to focus on improving their back end, and on Thursday afternoon chose to sign Demers to a PTO. The right shot defenseman has logged 699 career games in the NHL, but was forced to take his talents overseas to the KHL last season after failing to earn a contract. At the age of 34 his offensive skill has become nearly non-existent, but he may prove to be an option as a seventh defenseman with the club should he get offered a contract.

Spector also mentioned that instead of Virtanen, the Oilers are considering signing Brett Ritchie to a PTO as well. The 29-year-old spent the past two seasons as a member of the Calgary Flames, compiling seven goals and 12 points in a combined 73 games. As the stats show, he brings little offensively, but is as hard a worker as anyone in the league and can provide energy to a teams fourth line. At the very least, he, like Demers, could add some extra competitiveness in training camp.

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