Edmonton Oilers loan disgruntled defenseman Sheldon Souray to Hershey of AHL

Oilers loan Sheldon Souray to Hershey of AHL

EDMONTON, Alberta — The Edmonton Oilers loaned disgruntled defenseman Sheldon Souray to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

After failing to trade Souray or get another team to claim him on waivers, general manager Steve Tambellini sent the 32-year-old defenseman to Hershey, the Washington Capitals’ top farm club, instead of the Oilers’ affiliate in Oklahoma City. Souray has two seasons remaining on his contract at $4.5 million a year — a deal that works out to a $5.4 million a year salary cap hit if he had remained in the NHL.

Last month, Tambellini ordered Souray to stay away from training camp.

If the Oilers call up Souray, he would automatically go through waivers a third time, though this time a team could pick him up at half the salary. The Oilers would have to pick up the other half.