Exactly, he had a European assignment clause, much like Pettersson, and Höglander (and many other european players), saying if they aren't on the main roster, they will get assigned to their local league (SHL, Extraliga, KHL, etc...)
All signs say otherwise, there was just too much uncertainty regarding if there was going to be an NHL season, with Benning and his agent in talks since the end of our playoffs. He needed to sign a contract with the KHL starting on time (Sept) as well. The fact that he signed a 1 year deal is pretty telling that he wants to give it another go over here, when he's been offered and rejected multi year deals with Avto going back to the start of the 2019-2020 season.
While getting DiPietro some games is important, I think this guy is a bit over the top in his losing it/sky is falling attitude. Working with Clarke on a day-to-day basis, and hammering home his goaltending foundation is a positive. Not much in the way of UFA goaltenders right now either, maybe we get a 3rd string as a minor piece in a trade so we can send Mikey to Utica, or possibly loan him to Manitoba. If it's clear we're out of playoff contention in the next 2-3 weeks, I can see him getting a few games in the NHL, and he can continue his work with Clarke.
If you have gameplay issues, here's the EA thread that'll get passed on to the developers:
https://answers.ea.com/t5/Game-Information/Feedback-Wishlist/m-p/10111239/highlight/false#M3165