Sept. 20: CSKA Moscow has officially announced the signing (link in Russian). The Stars will retain his NHL rights.
Sept. 19: According to R-Sport correspondent Simon Galkevich, Dallas Stars forward Valeri Nichushkin is about to sign a two-year contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL (link in Russian).
Galkevich tweeted CSKA acquired Nichushkin’s KHL rights from Dinamo for free. Igor Eronko, a writer for the Russian website Sport-Express, cited a source saying Nichushkin hopes to return to Dallas “someday”, but doesn’t want to play for Stars coach Lindy Ruff. Ruff’s contract expires in two years, coinciding with the end of Nichushkin’s KHL contract.
Back in March, Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News reported Nichushkin was frustrated with Ruff, quoting a Sport-Express article where Nichushkin compared Ruff’s lack of trust in him to “beating [my] forehead against the wall”.
Stars GM Jim Nill had previously stated that he didn’t expect Nichushkin to consider the KHL. The Stars drafted Nichushkin 10th overall back in the 2013 Entry Draft. He’s scored 23 goals and 64 points in 166 games since then, missing all but eight games of his sophomore season with a hip issue.
Nichushkin is one of several RFAs currently without an NHL contract, as discussed during PHR’s series on remaining RFAs.
I really don’t know what rough had against the kid- he never gave him a chance last year. Really odd, because a lot of people thought nuke would light it up last year.
Ruff* not rough, lol
He didn’t earn much of a chance. He was almost a surefire turnover waiting to happen. Put in the work and mature mentally, and it wouldn’t even be an issue.
At first you say you don’t understand why he didn’t get a chance, then you say he didn’t earn a chance. Make up your mind, lol.
It’s not the same person, I don’t know why a lot of people had their name changed to json-api
I’m also json-api on the hockey board now. I think most people are. They have some bugs to work out.