A huge power forward is reportedly heading to Edmonton in blockbuster move
Bob Stauffer told Oilers fans not to be surprised if Edmonton signs a KHL winger this offseason, and the timing tracks. Stan Bowman's roster needs help.
The pitch came Friday. KHL playoffs just wrapped, and the prospect in question, Maxim Berezkin, is suddenly free to talk with NHL clubs about his entry-level deal.
He's not a small project either. Stauffer described him as a 6'4", 212-pound winger, a two-time Gagarin Cup champion with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, and represented by Dan Milstein.
That last detail matters. Milstein's pipeline of Russian clients to the NHL is one of the busiest in the agent world, and Edmonton already has working relationships there.
The Hockey News Hub also reported the same story Friday morning, saying the Oilers prospect may sign his ELC once his current KHL contract expires.
So what's the read here? Edmonton finished the regular season 41-30-11, 14th overall, then went out in six games to Anaheim in the first round. The window is shrinking.
Stan Bowman's bottom six gets a Russian wildcard
Kris Knoblauch leaned hard on his top six all year. The Oilers scored 282 goals but allowed 269, and the depth scoring dried up the second Anaheim tightened the screws.
A 6'4" winger with KHL playoff reps isn't a top-line answer. He's a bet on size, puck protection, and someone who can hold the wall without folding in May.
Edmonton finished second in the Pacific, but a -13 round-one collapse against the Ducks said everything about the bottom six's lack of bite.
Berezkin (sometimes written Beryozkin) checks the size box Bowman has chased since taking over the GM chair. The 212 pounds plays bigger on the cycle than the number suggests.
The risk? KHL forwards routinely overwhelm scouts in Russia and shrink under the NHL's pace. Yegor Sharangovich worked. Plenty of others didn't.
-
Edmonton's cap sheet is tight, but an ELC absorbs cheaply. The question is whether Knoblauch trusts a rookie winger in the bottom six on Day 1, or stashes him in Bakersfield for runway.
Either way, Bowman just put a marker down. The Oilers aren't done shopping, and the KHL aisle is open for business.
-
|
YESTERDAY
MAY 22, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Ivan Barbashev | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ross Colton | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brent Burns | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Blankenburg | - | - | - | |
| Dylan Coghlan | - | - | - | |
| Nic Dowd | - | - | - | |
| Jack Drury | - | - | - | |
| Noah Hanifin | - | - | - | |
| Carter Hart | - | - | - | |
| Tomas Hertl | - | - | - | |
| Brett Howden | - | - | - | |
| William Karlsson | - | - | - | |
| Parker Kelly | - | - | - | |
| Keegan Kolesar | - | - | - | |
| Kaedan Korczak | - | - | - | |
| Brett Kulak | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||