Former Oiler Klim Kostin One Punches Opponent After Taking a Cross Check

Now with the San Jose Sharks, Kostin just played a puck out into the neutral zone, and then was the target of a random and forceful cross check from Ducks forward Frank Vatrano. Kostin turned around, and delivered one left hook to send Vatrano to the ice.

Vatrano started that fight, and quickly found out why he shouldn't mess with Klim Kostin. Even though Kostin easily got the better of the incident with a much harder blow, the two forwards were given coincidental penalties - the right calls from the refs.

Now 25 years old, Kostin has never really turned out to be much more than a depth grinder forward. His 57 games with the Oilers in 2022-23 were the most productive of his career with 11 goals and 21 points, followed by a legendary playoff run. Before the Oilers and after the Oilers, Kostin never scored more than 10 points in a season.

Kostin is in the final year of a 2 year contract that pays him only $2M, and could be moved at the trade deadline. The Oilers could perhaps use more toughness and a quality penalty killer in their bottom six, and Kostin could be a prime candidate that's also likely to re-sign with Edmonton afterwards. Last playoffs, Kostin showed up to watch the first round and said several times that Edmonton feels like home to him.

Oilers fans can hope that the team may identify Kostin as a player to bring in at the trade deadline, but even if they don't, Kostin will still have plenty of fans in north Alberta that will love this classic forearm shiver.