Though he had already put together a very respectable NHL career, Jason Demers wasn’t ready to call it quits just yet. The now 34-year-old had his sights set on reaching 700 games, but found himself one shy of the mark after the 2020-21 season. Unfortunately, his contract came to an end that same year, and he was unable to find more work in the NHL. After heading to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) last season and spending the majority of the 2021-22 campaign in the American Hockey League (AHL), the veteran defenseman was able to capture his big milestone on Saturday afternoon.
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On Thursday, the Edmonton Oilers announced that they had recalled Demers from their AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors. While he doesn’t figure to be a part of the team’s roster moving forward, this move was one based purely on class to allow him to get to game number 700. With the playoffs already clinched, the Oilers were able to make this move, and it is one that reflects very well on them as an organization.
Players Taking Notice of Oilers’ Classy Move
While it isn’t the be-all, end-all, moves like this make the Oilers look like an organization that truly cares about its players. That goes a long way, and can even help attract players to the market. In the same sense, organizations that seem to make more cutthroat decisions can oftentimes have players hesitant when it comes to signing with them as a free agent or accepting a trade to that particular team should they have a no-trade clause in their contract.
One particular player who thought highly of this move was Sharks forward Logan Couture. The veteran spent a number of seasons playing alongside Demers, and spoke on how excited he was for his former teammate, while also acknowledging the class of the Oilers.
“Just the name brings a smile to a few guys that were fortunate to play with JD,” Couture said. “Character, just a great glue guy in the locker room. Great sense of humor. He was a big part of a lot of those teams that we had. Happy to see him get a chance to play 700 games. I talked to him after he was done in Arizona, and he was a little upset about the way that ended. I think they scratched him a few times near the end of the season at 699 when they were out of the playoffs. As a fellow player, that didn’t sit too well with a lot of guys.
“Good on Edmonton and [Jay Woodcroft] to bring him up and play in this building for 700. I think that speaks about the type of person that Woody is over there behind that bench.”
While this quote would be a great endorsement from any player, it means even more that it came from one who has a ton of respect around the league in Couture. Like he mentioned, there were a number of players who weren’t thrilled with how the Coyotes treated him, and you can bet those same ones were happy to see the Oilers do right by him.
What Couture also mentioned is the fact that Demers is a very good locker room guy. With his lengthy career in the NHL, there would be plenty of active players that think quite highly of him, so seeing him speak out on social media after Saturday’s game thanking the Oilers organization should do even more to paint them in a good light.
Demers Unsure What Future Holds
As Demers mentioned in his tweet, he isn’t sure what his career moving forward will look like. While it seems unlikely he will be a part of this Oilers roster come the playoffs, he may be able to get in another game or two before the 2022-23 season concludes. Regardless of whether or not that happens, he deserves a ton of credit for his perseverance over the past two years to stick with it. It was excellent to see his hard work pay off, and great to see the true class of this Oilers organization in allowing him to play his 700th NHL game.