Oilers Release Burdasov From PTO

The Oilers released, Russian winger, Anton Burdasov from his professional tryout Saturday morning.

Burdasov came to Edmonton with the expectation that he would challenge for a top 6 spot on the opening night roster. After spending 10 seasons in the KHL and gaining himself a reputation as a scorer with a very good shot, it wasn’t a huge surprise that Ken Holland thought that Burdasov could be an intriguing player for the Oilers.

In his first preseason matchup, against the the Calgary Flames on September 20th, Burdasov played a total of 13:34 and recorded 3 shots. He didn’t stand out in any negative ways, but he also didn’t do anything overtly positive that would catch the attention of Dave Tippett. Overall, his first impression wasn’t anything special, even though he played alongside a veteran counterman in Nugent-Hopkins.

Burdasov’s second, and final, game in an Oilers uniform was against the Winnipeg Jets this past Thursday. It was a better outing for the 28-year-old, as he picked up an assist on Ethan Bear’s first goal. Apart from that he also got two shots in net in 13 minutes of ice time, primarily on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Joakim Nygard. Despite this, Burdasov seemed to be overshadowed by an incredible performance by Tomas Jurco, who put up 2 goals and an assist.

In the end it just wasn't enough for Ken Holland to offer Burdasov a contract with the big club. While he didn’t perform all that badly, there were other players who were outplaying Burdasov who were already under contract.

Add this to the fact that Edmonton is currently pushing right up to that 50 contract limit, it was inevitable that Burdasov would be released.

The opening night roster just became that much clearer with the season less than a week away.