BLOG: Russell relishing role as mentor for young d-men

EDMONTON, AB - Kris Russell is looking to pay it forward.
When the 33-year-old defenceman broke into the league with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2007-08, he was taken under the wings of NHL veterans like Adam Foote, Sergei Federov, Mike Peca and Jason Chimera. Foote, in particular, mentored Russell as a fellow blueliner who was 36 at the time and wrapping up a career that included 1,324 combined regular season and playoff games.
"I was very fortunate when I came into the league," Russell told Bob Stauffer on Friday's episode of Oilers Now on 630 CHED. "We had a lot of veteran guys in Columbus... [Head Coach Ken Hitchcock] put me right beside Adam Foote from the start of camp and that's where my stall ended up being.
"To learn from a guy like that and listen to a guy who played so hard and was such a great player in the league, from the day-to-day things he could help me with and how easy it was to come to him and talk to him and how available he made himself, that sure showed a lot to me."

Flash forward 13 years and Russell, who has 899 combined regular season and playoff games under his belt, is returning the favour on an Oilers squad that features several up-and-coming defencemen like Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones on the current roster, with William Lagesson, Evan Bouchard, Philip Broberg and Dmitri Samorukov knocking at the door.
"I try to be the same way," he said, referencing how the veteran players treated him in Columbus. "If there's anything I can help with, I try to give back as much as I can."
The 2020-21 season will be the last on Russell's current four-year contract, but the Oilers signed him to a one-year extension this week for $1.25 million through the 2021-22 campaign.
"Any time you get offered an NHL contract is an exciting time," said the native of small-town Caroline in Central Alberta. "Especially for my family, spending another year in Edmonton is great being so close to home. I'm very fortunate."