A new report on Friday morning says the Edmonton Oilers might not be getting a Russian prospect to come to North America after all.

Dark horse prospect Maxim Berezkin, 24, is fresh off his second Gagarin Cup in the KHL a week ago, and it’s been anticipated that the former fifth-round draft pick was going to sign a contract with the Oilers.

However, Daria Tuboltseva, reporter for Russian outlet Sport.ru, says that Berezkin has changed his mind and signed a two-year extension with Lokomotiv. At 10:41 A.M., Hockey News Hub on X says that Berezkin’s agent confirmed the deal. The dollar figure has not been released.

Tuboltseva had the initial report a month ago, which said that Berezkin was likely to sign an NHL contract. Last week, local sources like Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer anticipated Berezkin was ready to make the jump to see if he was NHL calibre.

The Oilers were pressing to bring Berezkin over last off-season, as general manager Stan Bowman described the 6’4″, 212lbs forward as, “skilled, makes plays, comfortable with the puck, and you can never have too many of those guys.”

He will turn 25 in October.

Berezkin scored seven goals and 32 points in 64 games this season, a dip in production from his career highs in 2024-25. That appeared to be a breakout for the winger, who scored 15 goals and 42 points.

With Lokomotiv winning back-to-back championships, the former 2020 draft choice has scored timely goals, including the Game 7 double overtime series winner earlier this month against Avangard Omsk.

Seen by some as a possibility in the Oilers top-nine forward group, Berezkin was listed sixth in the Oilersnation Prospect Ranking last August.

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