The Edmonton Oilers have lost a player they were hoping would help the team, even before he made it to North America.
On Thursday, Lowetide shared that there are rumors from Russia saying that Maxim Berezkin will stay in the KHL for the next two years instead of joining the Oilers.
He said on X, “He’s ready for the NHL. Now is the right moment for him to really push himself. ”
The way he expressed that shows how the Oilers’ player development team feels about the situation. They were counting on Berezkin to help strengthen their team soon.
Stan Bowman’s team has just spent the last week changing nearly every part of the hockey operations. Michael Parkatti was promoted to Vice President of Analytics and Technology. Kirt Hill was brought in as Assistant General Manager for Player Procurement.
Toby Salmelainen will head the new European operations group. The whole reason for these changes was to better manage situations like this one overseas. Losing Berezkin to a two-year deal in the KHL complicates that plan.
Why this affects the Oilers’ off-season plans
Edmonton ended the season with 41 wins, 30 losses, and 11 overtime losses for a total of 93 points, placing them 14th overall, and they were knocked out in the first round by Anaheim. They need to add younger, affordable forwards to support Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
When a prospect decides to stay in the KHL for another two years, it delays the Oilers’ plans, which they really can’t afford.
McDavid’s time to win is getting shorter. Every summer matters, and any gaps in the roster that need to be filled with free agents will cost money.
Berezkin would have been an affordable option to fill a lower-role position. Now that chance is gone, and Bowman will need to find that extra help somewhere else, which usually means spending money he wants to keep for getting star players and goalies.
What will the front office do next? The free agent market is a clear option. The trade method is another choice. Both of these options cost a lot more than what a developing player would cost.
The search for a head coach is also taking a long time. There have been rumors connecting Edmonton to Craig Berube and Bruce Cassidy.
Vegas is still not allowing Cassidy to have official interviews until their season is over.
To be honest, news about overseas players doesn’t usually become a big deal by itself.
However, this situation feels different because of the timing. The Oilers are waiting on several decisions at the same time, and now there’s another one that’s been pushed back two more years.
Stan Bowman’s overall plan for the summer includes many different parts. The coaching staff, the goalie situation, the prospects coming up, and the salary cap around Evan Bouchard and the main players. Losing options at any level is important.
Connor McDavid hasn’t spoken out about any of these changes. He doesn’t need to since the situation is clear enough.
Berezkin will make his own decision. The Oilers just have to accept it. The next development call will be about another prospect who hasn’t been named yet.
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