One of the Edmonton Oilers most highly anticipated prospects, Maxim Berezkin will continue to make fans wait. It was originally reported by Daria Tuboltseva of Sports.ru that Berezkin inked a two-year extension with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL following back-to-back Gagarin Cup victories.
Per source, @EdmontonOilers prospect Maxim Berezkin has changed his mind after winning a second straight Gagarin Cup and has decided to stay in the KHL for two more years, signing an extension with Lokomotiv.
— Daria Tuboltseva (@DariaTuboltseva) May 29, 2026
I think it's a mistake.
Berezkin is already 24. At some point,…
The news was further confirmed by his agent Stanislav Romanov who is quoted as saying; "Maxim Berezkin will sign a new contract with Lokomotiv. The term of the agreement will be two years," to another Russian sports news outlet.
Berezkin absence leaves a hole in Oilers depth
Berezkin, 24, was drafted in the fifth round at the 2020 NHL Draft. He is one of the Oilers top prospects, gaining high praise from people around and outside of the organization. He was expected to be able to step right into the lineup and play in a top-nine role. He has already proven he can be a top-six piece for a championship calibre team in Russian and plays a very projectable power forward style of game.
Recently promoted assistant general manager Kalle Larsson had this to say about Berezkin last summer; “He's already playing pro so if he comes in, he would be a potential top-nine forward.” Interestingly, in a moment of foreshadowing Larsson said “It's up to him if he wants to come over and play in the best League in the world or, is he comfortable where he is? I think we have high hopes for him to come over."
Unfortunately, the Oilers will have to wait at least two more seasons until he can come over. At that time he will be 26 years old and while not unprecedented with players like Andrei Kuzmenko and Nikita Gusev debuting at 26 and 27 respectively, it makes his potential North American appearance all the more unlikely.
This is especially true given the potential risks with Berezkin waiting to come over in 2028, that will mean that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will both be on the wrong side of 30. In order for him to play with this current core, McDavid will have to sign another extension, anything but a guarantee at this point.
Beryozkin is not alone as an Oilers prospect in Russia. Fellow countryman, 21 year old defenceman Nikita Yevseyev has one year left on his contract with Ak Bars Kazan — Signing a two year extension last summer. He spent this past season on loan with Amur Khabarovsk. As well, 25 year old Maxim Denezhkin signed a two year extension last month and is locked up until 2028.
Former Oilers prospects
If the Oilers current prospects were not able to induce enough dread for Oilers fans, their former prospects just might do the trick. On June 1st, after the Oilers failed to sign forward Petr Hauser and defenceman Albin Sundin, relinquishing the rights to both prospects.
Hauser, 22, was a piece acquired by the Oilers ahead of the 2025 trade deadline from the New Jersey Devils in the three-way deal for Trent Frederic. Sundin, 21 was a double overager when the Oilers selected him at the 2024 NHL Draft and has spent the past two seasons developing in Sweden.
In addition to the Oilers giving up on these two prospects, another former prospect continues to twist the knife. Forward Sam O'Reilly recently won the Memorial Cup with the Ontario Hockey League's Kitchener Rangers, being named tournament MVP. The Oilers famously traded O'Reilly to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Isaac Howard.
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