Keeping Up With The KHL Signings

Keeping Up With The KHL Signings

The KHL has been a home for unsigned, frustrated, and outdated NHL players since its first season in 2008-09, and this year is no exception.

Aug 25, 2017 by Hunter Sharpless
Keeping Up With The KHL Signings

By Jacob Messing

The KHL has been a home for unsigned, frustrated, and outdated NHL players since its first season in 2008-09, and this year is no exception.

The first group of NHL players left in late April when the Vancouver Canucks saw Nikita Tryamkin and Philip Larsen opt for KHL deals. Among the notable names who were speculated to follow suit, some have since signed with an array of KHL teams while others have remained in the NHL. The rest are left seeking a contract.

While there are a variety of reasons a player might jump across the pond to play his hockey in Russia, one of the newer justifications may be to secure a spot on an Olympic roster, given the NHL’s decision to sideline its stars during the 2018 Winter Games. Some players are entering the twilight years of their professional hockey days, while others are attempting to jump-start stalled careers.

Below is a list of the most noteworthy KHL deals of the summer and what they mean for each player.

Mikhail Grigorenko

CSKA Moscow

NHL Stats: 217 GP | 22 G | 42 A, 64 PTS | -26

The 23-year-old Grigorenko was a key piece in the return for the Colorado Avalanche in the trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Buffalo Sabres in 2015. As a former 12th overall pick who showed promise in the QMJHL and the AHL, Grigorenko was unable to put everything together in the NHL.

Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic chose not to qualify the sizeable winger, which allowed Grigorenko to enter free agency as a young restricted free agent. Grigorenko opted to sign a three-year contract in his homeland with CSKA, the league’s back-to-back regular-season champions.

He’ll play alongside some serious talent, which should help him get back to his scoring ways and see a turnaround in NHL suitors when he turns 26 and his KHL contract expires.

Dwight King

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg

NHL Career Stats: 365 GP | 53 G | 56 A | 109 PTS | +3

The two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline after six-plus seasons in LA.

King has been a formidable depth player during his career, and at 28 years old he is an unlikely candidate for an eventual NHL return.

King’s age, salary, and replaceable offense make him another victim of the NHL’s crunch on 30-somethings and reflects how each team is increasingly icing a younger roster.

North American players have a fairly smooth track record when adjusting to the European game, and King could see significant duty on an Avtomobilist team that finished fourth from the bottom in the KHL’s Eastern Conference last season.

Anton Lander

AK Bars Kazan

NHL Stats: 215 GP | 10 G | 25 A | 35 PTS | -41

Lander was an AHL stud, recording 62 goals and 163 points in 178 games. He’s another talented player who couldn’t translate that success into the NHL and could steady his career back in Russia. At 26, he’s still got a lot of hockey in him and just needs to regain his confidence.

Similar to Grigorenko, Lander is likely to get back to his offensive potential with AK Bars, last season’s sixth-place team. Should the former second-round pick be able to do so, he could regenerate NHL interest when his contract with AK Bars is up in two seasons.

He’ll likely begin the season in more of a depth role, but could soon find himself higher in the lineup as he progresses in a less physical league.

Alexey Marchenko

CSKA Moscow

NHL Stats: 121 GP | 4 G | 17 A |21 PTS | +5

Marchenko showed NHL promise during his time with the Detroit Red Wings. He was a favorite of coach Mike Babcock’s when he was at the helm in Hockeytown, and Babcock once again found the 25-year-old under his control after the Toronto Maple Leafs claimed Marchenko off waivers.

But the Russian was a constant healthy scratch as Babcock started to favor other defensemen over him. He played just 11 games with the Leafs, recording a goal and an assist.

Marchenko signed a three-year deal with an already-stacked CSKA team. He previously played four seasons at CSKA, but Marchenko’s agent said he remains open to an eventual return to the NHL, where steady defense is always in demand.

Alexey Marchenko was picked up by the Toronto in February after playing 110 games for Detroit over the past four seasons. (USA TODAY Sports)

Andrei Markov

AK Bars Kazan

NHL Stats: 990 GP | 119 G | 453 A | 572 PTS | +64

Perhaps the most notable player to head to the KHL this season, even at 40 years old, Markov remains a strong defenseman with significant offensive ability. When it became apparent the Canadiens would not be bringing him back to Montreal, where he spent the entirety of his 16-year career, he opted to sign in Russia.

Markov will be a lock on Russia’s Olympic team due to his leaving the NHL, and as a powerplay specialist and long-time North American veteran he’s likely to find a slight resurgence in the KHL.

Markov’s experience and lengthy, consistent career will be a steadying force on the backend for AK Bars, where he joins the aforementioned King, his former teammate in Montreal.

Nikita Nesterov

CSKA Moscow

NHL Stats: 132 GP | 9 G | 24 A | 33 PTS | Even

Another nab by CSKA, the 24-year-old recorded a goal and five points in 13 games with Montreal as a deadline acquisition and seemingly found a new gear during his short stint.

He was on pace for career highs in goals, assists, and points but was limited to just 48 total games in 2016-17. Nesterov is just one of a handful of defensemen on CSKA’s roster but has already suited up in the first two games of the season, adding an assist in the season opener.

Should he continue to develop his offensive game in the KHL, he’s another young player that could generate NHL interest when his contract expires.

Andrej Nestrasil

HC Neftekhimik

NHL Stats: 128 GP | 17 G | 31 A | 48 PTS | Even

A victim of waiver exposure from the Detroit Red Wings, Nestrasil struggled to maintain a regular spot in the lineup with the up-and-coming Carolina Hurricanes over the past three seasons.

The 26-year-old has had strong possession numbers in his career and has played well enough on both sides of the puck to justify regular play, but has come up short. The Red Wings gave up on him relatively quickly before he scored 20 points in 54 games with Carolina his rookie season.

He slightly built on that success his sophomore season before being held to just 19 games. He should finally receive a regular spot with Neftekhimik, who finished with one point better than Avtomobilist in 2016-17.

Others

Other recent signings include Ryan Garbutt, Jhonas Enroth, and Linden Vey, who each saw significant reduction in their NHL playing time during the 2016-17 campaign.

While the 2017-18 KHL season is now underway, there is still another group of players likely to sign as the NHL training camps near.


Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @JMessing23.