"It's really weird to be home at this time of year," Klefbom said Friday from Karlstad, Sweden, where he, his girlfriend, Maja, and dog, Mysan, headed when the NHL paused its season March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus. "And when you've been playing some good hockey you deserve to be on the ice for the most exciting time of the year. We're just going to ride this out, take one day at a time. I think all the players in the whole league want to get back playing."
He used the same word -- weird -- when it came to the idea of the NHL season and Stanley Cup Playoffs going well beyond June.
"It's going to be really weird to go in there and play until maybe late August ... but you want to go into the playoffs," Klefbom said. "We deserve to be in the playoffs. We've been having a good year, and this should be, and would have been, the most interesting part of the year for us."
The Oilers (37-25-9) are second in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Vegas Golden Knights. Had the season continued, the Oilers would be playing their final game Saturday at the Calgary Flames. They instead are scattered around the world, hoping they will get to resume the season and their chase for Edmonton's first Stanley Cup championship since 1990.
"I heard Connor [McDavid] say that if we start playing again it's probably going to be the best playoffs ever; everyone [will be] healthy and well rested," said Klefbom, who has 34 points (five goals, 29 assists) in 62 games this season. "It would be very fun and very exciting to go into a playoff when everybody is feeling fresh."