The Edmonton Oilers not only have to upgrade their defensive corps, but they also have to get rid of some of their large contracts. One of those is defenseman Nikita Nikitin, who never really proved to be a top defenseman for Edmonton. With a huge cap hit of $4.5 million per season, Nikitin and his monster contract were buried in the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.
That contract will no longer be a problem for Edmonton come July 1, but for the former Oiler, it seems that his NHL days are over. He is reportedly in negotiations to return to his native country of Russia.