Edmonton Oilers News: Maksimov Contract Terminated

On Monday, The Edmonton Oilers placed forward Kirill Maksimov on waivers with the purpose of terminating his contract.

This is the third and final year of his entry-level deal with the Edmonton Oilers and he was expected to play with the Condors in the AHL this season, but that will not happen now obviously. Maksimov was selected in the 5th round of the 2017 NHL entry draft, and since then has yet to play a game in the NHL, but put up 13 points in 53 games with the Condors during the 2019-20 campaign.

Maksimov was always seen as someone who could crack the Oilers roster somewhere down the line, as he seemed to dominate wherever he played. A 5th round steal is what fans were hoping for, but he never was able to make the jump to the big leagues, and now has an opportunity to go back home and play there. It’s no secret that several NHL teams will keep an eye out, and monitor how he does, wherever he decides to play.

CSKA owns Maksimov’s KHL rights, so it’s safe to assume the 22-year-old will return there this season, and consider a return to North America after his contract is up. The young Russian winger has spent time in both the KHL with CSKA where he totaled 3 points in 16 games and the VHL with Zvezda where he tallied 27 points in 25 games.

Before being drafted by the Oilers, Maksimov played in the OHL, splitting his time between the Saginaw Spirit and the Niagara IceDogs, tallying an impressive 58 points in 120 games. Maksimov returned to Niagara for the next two seasons, where he played 125 games and had 159 points before starting his pro career in Bakersfield.

Maksimov will likely make a decision on his future in the coming days, and announce where he will be playing this season.