In a recent podcast, former NHL defenseman Jason Demers revealed how he was planning to sign with the Edmonton Oilers until Milan Lucic got in the way of a deal getting done. Free agency in the NHL is always one of the funniest things to retroactively think about, coming up with hypothetical what-ifs for your favourite team who reportedly almost signed that star that everyone was looking at. It is even better when we get to hear the player's perspective on their free agency times, and that is exactly what we have here. Jason Demers, former NHL defenseman, recently went on a podcast to discuss how he got a call from Todd McClellan during free agency saying that the team wanted him, and after some silence, he figured out that <a href='https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news/like-we-werent-even-there-jason-demers-recounts-the-awkward-night-where-milan-lucic-prevented-him-from-signing-with-the-oilers' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>the Oilers were spending a lot of their money on someone by the name of Milan Lucic</a>. <q>«I really wanted to sign with Edmonton,» Demers started. «I talked with Todd [McLellan] the day before, and he was like, �Hey, we really need a right-handed defenceman,' so I was super excited.» «I'm talking to my dad and I'm like �I don't know what's going on here, they must be negotiating,'» explained Demers. «They're going back and forth. I think it was the third or fourth course, and the money was at like five or six million, and I turned to my dad, and I'm like, �Doesn't look like we're going to Edmonton.'»</q> <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/OilersNation/status/1775342455006863636'> </a></blockquote></div> <a href='https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nhl/florida-panthers/article126385854.html' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Demers ended up signing with the Florida Panthers</a> during that free agency period, as the deal with the Oilers never happened. He would eventually sign with the Oilers on a league minimum deal later in his career, living out his previous hopes to play for the Oilers. <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl/news/former-oilers-head-coach-todd-mclellan-gets-linked-to-the-ottawa-senators' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>McClellan, on the other hand, is now being considered for the Ottawa Senators head coaching job.</a> As seen on <a href='https://www.oilersdaily.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/former-nhler-reveals-how-milan-lucic-blocked-him-from-joining-oilers' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Former NHLer reveals how Milan Lucic blocked him from joining Oilers</a>