Oilers cut ties with Kirill Maksimov.

The Edmonton Oilers appear ready to cut ties with one of their young prospects, according to a new report.

On Monday morning Cap Friendly reported that the Oilers had placed Kirill Maksimov on waivers, however these were not regular waivers. Instead the Oilers waived Maksimov with the intention of terminating his contract, effectively marking an end to his tenure with the Oilers organization.

Maksimov, a forward, was drafted by the Oilers in the 5th round (146th overall) after he showed promise as a member of the Ontario Hockey League's Niagara IceDogs. After being drafted Maksimov would continue to play for the IceDogs before eventually making the transition to the American Hockey League. There he played 53 games for the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers AHL affiliate, recording 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points over that stretch.

Following his only season in the AHL, the Russian forward returned to his home country to play in the Kontinental Hockey League while the AHL was shutdown due to the pandemic. There was an expectation that he would return to the Condors this season and in fact he was even named as part of the Condors opening roster for the upcoming AHL season, but it would now appear as though that won't be the case.

I can only speculate as to why this news may have been announced today, but if I did have to venture a guess I would suspect that there is a good chance that Maksimov prefers to once again return home to Russia to play in the KHL. The American Hockey League travel schedule can be difficult on some players, and when you have a viable option like the KHL back home it makes any decision to opt out of that schedule that much easier for the player.

It is almost certainly a disappointing ending to the relationship for both the 22 year old winger and for the Oilers as well. In spite of that we hope he finds success in the KHL and we wish Maksimov all the best on his future endeavors both on and off the ice.