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Edmonton Oilers won't be signing top Russian prospect after all

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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May 29 2026, 6:19 pm
Edmonton Oilers won't be signing top Russian prospect after all
bereza_72/Instagram

The Edmonton Oilers will need to begin looking elsewhere for an inexpensive bottom-six forward next season.

Last week, it was reported that the Oilers were likely to sign Russian prospect Maxim Berezkin, whom they selected in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. The 24-year-old has spent the past six seasons playing with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL. He and his teammates are fresh off their second-straight league championship.

Oilers fans were quite excited about the possibility of finally landing Berezkin, as he’s been a very intriguing prospect for several years. Unfortunately, he won’t be suiting up in Edmonton anytime soon.

As per Daria Tuboltseva of Sportsru, Berezkin has signed a two-year extension with Lokomotiv.

While an upsetting decision for Oilers fans, it makes plenty of sense from Berezkin’s perspective. Not only will he presumably make more money, but he also gets to stay with a very good team where he’s clearly comfortable. On top of that, his numbers declined this season.

After recording career highs with 15 goals and 42 points in 2024-25, Berezkin managed just seven goals and 32 points in 64 games this season. It’s possible that the decline in offence had him feeling as though he isn’t NHL-ready at this time in his career.

There was also no guarantee as to whether or not the Oilers view him as being NHL-ready. It sometimes takes European players some time to adapt to the North American game, which could have resulted in Berezkin being forced to spend some time in the AHL.

Regardless of why the decision was made, Berezkin will not be suiting up for the Oilers anytime soon.

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