{"id":28447,"date":"2018-05-05T14:26:47","date_gmt":"2018-05-05T18:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=28447"},"modified":"2018-05-05T20:21:51","modified_gmt":"2018-05-06T00:21:51","slug":"anton-slepyshev-quits-edmonton-oilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2018\/05\/05\/anton-slepyshev-quits-edmonton-oilers\/","title":{"rendered":"Anton Slepyshev quits Edmonton Oilers for KHL"},"content":{"rendered":"

There were hints that he would be leaving as early as this January. At that time it was rumoured that the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> had plans to trade Anton Slepyshev<\/a>. Later, an April\u00a0 “Goodbye America” Instagram post swept away most doubts. Now it is official –\u00a0Anton Slepyshev<\/a>\u00a0has quit the Oilers and opted to return to the KHL.<\/p>\n

Anton Slepyshev<\/a> will not be a part of the Edmonton Oilers next season. Destination\u00a0CKSA Moscow<\/h1>\n

The KHL club Salavat Ufa\u00a0sold Slepyshev’s rights to CKSA Moscow on Thursday. With this transaction, the Moscow club will likely sign him quickly. Slepeshev’s contract with the Oilers expires on June 30th and he cannot sign until then. However, reports indicate that the RFA’s deal with CSKA is just waiting to become official.<\/p>\n

A native of Penza, Russia, Slepyshev is not a newcomer to the KHL. He had spent five seasons in the KHL before joining the Oilers for the 2015-16 season.<\/p>\n

First-overall KHL selection<\/h3>\n

The Edmonton Oilers\u00a0originally drafted the first-overall KHL selection in the third round, 88th overall, of the 2013 NHL Draft. Anton Slepyshev was in his second year of eligibility because teams considered him unlikely to come play to NHL. Being a captain of the Russian team, he showed some flashes at the World Juniors the following season.<\/p>\n

Expected to take a role as a hard-shooting right winger, patrolling the left circle on the power play, he never really fulfilled his full potential in Edmonton. His development has been slower than everyone expected.<\/p>\n

A bumpy road overseas<\/h3>\n

Slepyshev, who turns 24 next week, spent three years in North America.<\/p>\n

He scored 10 goals and posted 23 points in 102 games with the Oilers over the past three seasons, averaging 11 minutes a night at even strength and just eight seconds on the powerplay. His production rates stayed constant at 0.24 P\/GP. One may say that was the only case of his consistency.<\/p>\n

Slepyshev played sparingly in 2017-18 in the main roster, splitting his time between Edmonton and Bakersfield. He started the year on the IR and basically was outplayed by other roster players.<\/p>\n

In 50 NHL games of the last season, Anton Slepyshev scored six goals and posted 12 points. Often a healthy scratch, he found himself on the trade market prior to the February deadline. However,\u00a0a dynamic winger with great hands and slick moves stayed in Edmonton for the lack of offers from the other teams.<\/p>\n