Anton Slepyshev to the KHL

It’s official, Anton Slepyshev is no longer a member of the Edmonton Oilers.

The Russian forward was taken in the 3rd round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and managed to score 23 points in 102 NHL games.

As cool as it is to see a 3rd rounder crack the big leagues, Anton Slepyshev never really found any consistency, nor did he seem to have a defined role. He played on a checking line, but didn’t check. And he looked like a goal scorer who didn’t score. I definitely understand why Todd McLellan could never find a way to use him, and I think he’ll be better off playing in the KHL.

His most memorable moment with the Oilers was scoring on a breakaway in the playoffs to help send the Oilers to the second round last year.

It would have been very nice to see more of that coming into this year. Instead, he started the year on the IR and was outplayed by other roster players and never found his groove. Best of luck to him in the KHL. It will be interesting to see if he ever makes his way back across the Atlantic.

This also opens another roster spot for the Oilers to fill this off season. They’ll have around 18 Million to fill a few spots, re-sign Darnell Nurse and Ryan Strome, and ideally, add another player to help immediately. If it’s not managed appropriately, it’s going to be tight.