Klefbom clarifies Hall remarks: 'All of our key players underperformed'

Oscar Klefbom says his criticism of Taylor Hall is also applicable to the rest of last season's core group.

Related - Klefbom: Hall rarely had best games when we needed him most

The Edmonton Oilers defenseman attempted to clarify comments made about the departed forward Sunday.

"All of our key players underperformed, including myself. Not only Taylor Hall," Klefbom told Ola Winther of HockeySverige.se in a follow-up interview, hours after his original remarks were published.

Here's what the blue-liner originally told Winther, as translated by Swedish journalist Martin Lunden:

I also understand the strong (negative) reactions (to trading Hall) (especially as) Hall has been our best player for the last couple of years. But at the same time, it's also somewhat tricky to pinpoint exactly what he has been able to accomplish for us.

Unfortunately, he rarely had his best games when we played the toughest teams - when we might've needed it the most - while he always played amazingly well when we were up towards the somewhat (lesser) teams.

Hall was traded to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson on June 29. Hall notched 132 goals and 328 points in 381 games over six seasons with the Oilers after being selected first overall in 2010.

The Oilers signed Klefbom, a first-round pick in 2011, to a seven-year contract extension last September.