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Edmonton places Nikita Nikitin on waivers

Dennis Everberg, Nikita Nikitin

Dennis Everberg, Nikita Nikitin

AP

The Edmonton Oilers have placed Nikita Nikitin on waivers for the purpose of assignment.

According to the Edmonton Journal, Nikitin looked good early in camp but once the competition got stiffer, his play dropped off.

The 29-year-old is in the final year of his contract.

He is owed $4.5 million in 2015-16, and should the Oilers bury him in the minors, they will only save $950,000 on the salary cap with the rest ($3.55 million) counting as dead money.

The odds of another team taking a gamble on him are slim.

Nikitin had just four goals and 10 points in 42 games last season.

He missed a significant amount of time with back and shoulder injuries last year.