Six players decide to leave the NHL, including two familiar names
PUBLICATION
MarcO
August 2, 2024 (2:17 PM)
We have just learned that six players are leaving the NHL, including a former Montreal Canadiens player.
As reported by Marco Normandin, we have indeed seen a rare wave of departures to the KHL.
"Egor Afanasyev of the Nashville Predators (3 years), Dmitry Samorukov of the Pittsburgh Penguins (3 years), Denis Gurianov of the Philadelphia Flyers (2 years), Ruslan Iskhakov of the New York Islanders (2 years), and Nikita Okhotyuk of the Calgary Flames (2 years) have all signed contracts with CSKA Moscow in the KHL.
Additionally, forward Alexander Barabanov of the San Jose Sharks has signed a 2-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL."
They are all leaving North America and returning home, which removes a few notable names from the free-agent market.
Six Players, Including Denis Gurianov and Alexander Barabanov, Leave for the KHL
As for the former Montreal Canadiens player Denis Gurianov, he has signed a two-year deal with SKA, joining Ivan Demidov and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
The 27-year-old forward, who had 8 points in 23 games with the Canadiens, recorded 30 points in 27 games in the American Hockey League in 2023-24.
There is another name familiar to fans on this list.
In addition to Gurianov, Alexander Barabanov's name also draws attention.
We're talking about a forward who had a very solid 47 points in 68 games with the San Jose Sharks during the 2022-23 season (a pace of nearly 60 points per 82 games).
In total, Barabanov, who is also a former Toronto Maple Leafs player, has amassed 107 points in 206 games in the National Hockey League.
His NHL career was going well, as he could establish himself as a 50-60 point-per-season forward, but he preferred to return home.
Details will follow.
We wish them the best of luck in the future.
Credit: HABSolumentFan
Six joueurs de la LNH quittent et signent un contrat en KHL
POLL |
AOUT 2 | 458 ANSWERS Six players decide to leave the NHL, including two familiar names Where do you see Mattias Norlinder in a year? |
Montreal | 35 | 7.6 % |
Laval | 94 | 20.5 % |
Europe | 261 | 57 % |
Elsewhere in the NHL | 68 | 14.8 % |
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