The Edmonton Oilers’ efforts to sign one of their prospects could be all for naught — at least for now.

Word began to creep out in April that the team had been working to sign 2020 fifth-round draft pick Maxim Beryozkin to an entry-level deal to bring him from Russia to North America.

Oilers general manager Stan Bowman said the team was in contact with his representatives, hoping to find common ground on a deal when Beryozkin’s season in the KHL finished. That came days ago with the team he plays for, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, which won the league’s Gagarin Cup last week.

And while there was hope that it would see Beryozkin, 23, put pen to paper on coming overseas, Russian news outlet Sport Express reported Sunday that the 6’2″ winger had signed a one-year extension with Lokomotiv.

Details of the deal aren’t known, but KHL deals often contain some kind of out clause for the NHL, so Beryozkin may be just ensuring he has a place to play next season.

He has size at 6’2″, 211 lbs. and played an integral role in the playoffs, scoring nine goals and 14 points in 21 games, leading the team in goals, and finishing second in points. It followed a regular season where he scored 15 goals, 27 assists and 42 points in 66 games, leading the team in assists and finishing second in points.

If he doesn’t sign with the Oilers, it would likely be a disappointing outcome for the organization weak with right-wing prospects. While there’s Matt Savoie, who could play any of the three forward spots, the Oilers’ only true right-wing prospects, beyond Beryozkin, are the recently signed Quinn Hutson, Matvey Petrov, and James Stefan. Hutson is someone who could play NHL games as soon as next year, Petrov and Stefan are both long-shots to be players who have any sort of impact on the Oilers roster in the future.

Beryozkin entered the season as the eighth-ranked prospect in the Oilers system by Oilersnation.

Nonetheless, this will be a story to continue to monitor throughout the summer.

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.