NHL rejects Oilers' contract to Vladimir Tkachev

Tuesday was a happy day for youngster Vladimir Tkachev.

The 141-pound undrafted forward, who turns 19 on Sunday, had come to the Edmonton Oilers' camp as an amateur tryout and played well enough to land a three-year, entry-level deal.

The team made him available to the news media and had fellow Russian Nail Yakupov translate for him.

But Tuesday night, the league rejected the contract.

"(The) player wasn't eligible to be signed to SPC (standard player's contract)," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told USA TODAY Sports by email.

More specifically, Daly said, Tkachev is still eligible for next year's draft.

The issue, Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish told radio station CHED, is that Tkachev played some games in Russia while waiting for his transfer to Moncton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and didn't fulfill the required full season in North America that would have made him eligible to sign.

Tkachev told reporters that MacTavish had called his agent with an invite to the team's rookie camp after he wasn't taken during the two days of the June draft in Philadelphia.

Tkachev played well in that camp and had three assists in three NHL preseason games.

With the signing voided, the Oilers released him from his tryout and he is returning to Moncton. Now, he'll have to wait his turn until a team takes him in the 2015 draft.

"I feel bad for the player because he certainly was deserving of the contract based on the way that he played and was excited by it," MacTavish said.