Oilers prospect files discrimination complaint against coach in KHL

The KHL is one of the best professional hockey leagues in the world, and historically has been a pipeline for extremely talented players to come over to the NHL. Their handling of players has always been shady however, with many former players talking about the subpar conditions for players.

The most recent event in this string of player mistreatment comes out Christmas morning, where via X, Hockey News Hub reveals that Oilers' prospect Nikita Yevseyev and teammate Damir Zhafyarov are filing a lawsuit against their team, the Kazan Ak Bars. This lawsuit is due to discrimination by their head coach.


Yevseyev, 19, was the Edmonton Oilers' 6th round pick in the 2022 NHL draft. Not much is known right now about why this lawsuit has been filed, but it is speculated that it is due to the fact that Yevseyev and Zhafyarov have been scratched for the entire 2023-24 season so far. Despite Yevseyev having a very impressive 5 goals and 7 points in 48 games at only 18, he has yet to play a game in the 2023-24 season. If it is found there is reasonable grounds for contract termination, Yevseyev will most likely head to a seperate professional league to continue his development on the way to the NHL.