Why a Stan Bowman strength may benefit Edmonton Oilers in a big way

One of the strongest positives on Stan Bowman’s resume is an ability to land European players who are considering multiple offers.

In a must-read piece for The Athletic, Mark Lazerus laid out Bowman’s strengths under the headline “wooing late bloomers” in July.

Lazerus wrote, “Perhaps Bowman’s biggest strength was his ability to land coveted European free agents. Artemi Panarin, Erik Gustafsson, Michal Kempny, Jan Rutta, David Kämpf, Dominik Kahun, Dominik Kubalik and Pius Suter all came over from Europe and made instant impacts. Though, again, most of them didn’t stay long.”

For Edmonton, quality players available for nothing but contract dollars are manna from heaven. The idea of a short-term stay would also have appeal for an organization that has signed too many for too long and has some real cap issues on the horizon.

For Bowman, his first opportunity to show Edmonton his ability to procure Russian talent from the KHL may come this summer.

Maxim Berezkin, drafted by Edmonton in 2020’s fifth round, is slated to reach free agency in late spring 2025.

Berezkin’s progress

In a May 2024 look at Berezkin at The Athletic, I opined “owns a power-forward skill set, is 22 years old, 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, wins board battles and is likely the most NHL-ready unsigned forward in Edmonton’s system.”

The only things that have changed since? He turned 23 and is delivering his best season in the KHL.

Numbers via KHL site

Berezkin is now a KHL impact player and among team leaders in scoring and outscoring so far this year.

The key totals are a spike in time on ice, goal share, points per game and shots per game.

Berezkin has always been able to secure the puck and hold it due to his size and style. He has reached a point where he can turn puck possession into goals for his team.

Berezkin’s progress is so impressive the Oilers (and the rest of the NHL) will have noticed. That could mean several things this summer.

The next 12 months

The KHL site has Berezkin as a free agent on May 31, 2025. Bowman should have an opportunity to sign him. It may also mean Edmonton’s general manager has an attractive trade piece at the deadline.

Based on the Oilers’ lack of success with Russian players who play in their home country, signing Berezkin would be viewed as a major victory.

Getting him to the NHL with the Oilers would represent a significant shift in the team’s fortunes in this areas.

The Oilers and Russians in Russia

It’s bad and it’s always been bad. Since entering the NHL in 1979, the Oilers have had just three drafted Russian prospects play 200 NHL games. Among Anatoli Semenov, Alexei Semenov and Nail Yakupov, only one (Semenov) was playing in Russia at the time of his being drafted by Edmonton.

If Berezkin gets to the NHL, he will change the fortunes of Russian players with the Edmonton organization in the last dozen years.

Yakupov was the No. 1 selection by Edmonton in the 2012 draft and led NHL rookies in goals in his first pro season. However, the team was in a period of changing coaches and managers, and Yakupov was lost in the flood.

Anton Slepyshev, a talented winger who could shoot the puck, arrived via the 2013 draft and there was a time when he looked like part of the solution. He tired of the demotions to the AHL, though, and eventually went back to Russia.

That same frustration with AHL time led to names like Bogdan Yakimov, Ziyat Paigin and Ilya Konovalov all deciding to go back home.

Some of those players had NHL potential, and that none of them played in the NHL for an extended period (Slepyshev aside) speaks to either the quality of scouting or the ability to develop Russian players.

Why doesn’t this work? 

Since 2010, the Oilers’ AHL teams have been housed in Oklahoma City (from 2010-2015) and Bakersfield (since 2015-16).

Several Russian players have flown home far short of their entry-level contracts expiring, giving up the NHL dream for the comforts of home.

Why doesn’t it work?

Some say it’s because the Oilers farm teams are too far from the ocean (1,500 kilometres from Oklahoma City to the Pacific, but just 117 kilometres from Bakersfield to the same ocean).

Others say it’s because opportunities are not given to young players, and waiting in line in the AHL is less lucrative financially than a KHL contract and role as a regular.

One possible reason is the age that Russian players come over to play North American hockey in Edmonton’s system. That could be advantageous for Berezkin. He will turn 24 in October, and being an older prospect may allow him to compete and win an NHL job.

Here’s a quick view of recent Russian forwards who played in the KHL and then in Edmonton’s system, with their entry and exit ages.

If Berezkin signs after becoming a free agent this summer, he would arrive at Oilers training camp older than any of these prospects were when they pulled the chute on their NHL dream.

It could be an advantage for Bowman in negotiations, and may give Berezkin a cleaner shot at NHL work right away.

The 2025-26 depth chart at right wing

Berezkin shoots right and plays right wing, although Russian forwards can usually play either side with aplomb.

Edmonton’s roster wingers who are signed for next season (both sides) include Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark.

There’s plenty of room, depending on how the offseason plays out.

The Oilers don’t have much bubbling under, although Matt Savoie and Roby Jarventie were doing good things with the Condors this fall before getting hurt.

Savoie could land a job on an NHL skill line as soon as next season if he continues to develop.

Even if Savoie establishes himself quickly, Berezkin is a completely different player type. The two men wouldn’t be applying for the same job.

Scott Wheeler at The Athletic described Berezkin like this in February: “He’s not the driven, shot-first, physical, powerful-skating player that a Holloway is (or a Schaefer was when they picked him). Instead, he plays more of a puck protection game that tries to utilize his size and length to keep players on his hip and facilitate or take pucks from the wall to shooting areas (rather than just driving them to the net).”

Corey Pronman at The Athletic listed Berezkin as a player with a chance to play in the NHL in August.

The absence of alternatives

Edmonton has been bleeding draft picks for a long time and needs forwards who combine skill, size and puck possession. As it happens, Berezkin is a Russian player on the Oilers’ reserve list, with real talent, who is approaching free agency.

In the past, that has been Bowman’s wheelhouse. Perhaps it will be again in Edmonton. It would change the course of team history regarding Russian prospects in a heartbeat.

(Photo of Maxim Berezkin: Maksim Konstantinov / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images)