BLOG: Klefbom return an expected boost for Larsson

EDMONTON, AB - After Tuesday's matchup with the Detroit Red Wings and the ensuing 10-day break for the All-Star Game, Oscar Klefbom is expected to make his return to the Oilers line-up after missing time with a hand injury since December 13.
After being asked by the media if the Swede is slated for a return to the fold for Edmonton when the team travels to Philadelphia for a meeting with the Flyers on Saturday, February 2, Oilers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock said the timetable remains accurate.
"Yes, we do," Hitchcock said if they expect Klefbom back on the blueline when the team reconvenes following the break. "He's come along nicely and the 10 days will do him good. He's going to skate a lot of those days, so he should be up and running ready to go."

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Another Swede who also admittedly had a rough month of January was Adam Larsson, who felt the loss of his countryman and regular defensive partner.
Larsson was open about his struggles on the ice in a post-game media availability following Sunday's defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes, but Hitchcock is confident the return to regularity with Klefbom at his side will be a boost to his output.
"His game is a game that when thing things are going predictably when his partner's there, then there's an automatic response. Now there's hesitation and questioning going on," Hitchcock said. "We'll try to help him here. He'll get his partner back in one more game, and he's a good player who's had a rough month here.
"Sometimes when you get pushed a little bit higher up the chain, things happen that get you exposed in some situations that you're not normally in."
Teammates, including captain Connor McDavid, were receptive to Larsson admitting his faults and difficulties.
"It takes a real man to step up and say what he said last night, and we have a lot of respect for that," McDavid said of his teammate. "He felt he wasn't good enough, we ask a lot of Larsson, and he gives us a lot every night. He battles like no one I've ever seen. When he's saying that about himself you know he's feeling it, and this is where the team has his back and we know we can pick him up."