Wideman, a 28-year-old defenseman, had five points (two goals, three assists) in 19 games for the Senators this season, his fourth in the NHL. Selected by the Senators in the fourth round (No. 100) in the 2009 NHL Draft, Wideman has 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 175 NHL games and four points (one goal, three assists) in 15 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Wideman told the Oilers website he was arriving at the house of Dallas Stars goalie Ben Bishop for Thanksgiving dinner when he got the call that he had been traded.
RELATED: [2018-19 NHL Trade Tracker]
Instead of playing the Stars in Dallas on Friday with the Senators, Wideman had to head to Anaheim, where the Oilers will play the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Friday (4 p.m. ET; FS-W, SNW, NHL.TV).
"I think thankfully it happened on Thanksgiving so I could wrap my head around being traded before it was all made public," Wideman said. "I was trying to get organized and had to rush back to the hotel room, pack my things, then get in a car to the airport. It's been kind of a whirlwind, but definitely something I'm excited about and looking forward to.
"I spoke with Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli] after the trade call went through and I expressed to him my excitement and thanked him for bringing me in and giving me this opportunity. It's a fresh start for me and something that I couldn't be more thankful for."
The Senators will get the pick that Edmonton was scheduled to receive from the St. Louis Blues in an Oct. 1 trade for defenseman
[Jakub Jerabek
. Edmonton was to get St. Louis' fifth-round or sixth-round pick in 2020.
