Vadim Shipachyov To Terminate Contract, Return To Russia

Though Eric Engels of Sportsnet is standing by his report that Shipachyov has decided to go back to Russia, Bob McKenzie of TSN now tells us that Shipachyov will not be on unconditional waivers today. He admits it might happen in the future, but the fact that he isn’t just yet does leave a tiny bit of hope for those who would like to see another team in the NHL acquire him. Part of the hold up is likely that Shipachyov will be required to pay back some of his $2MM signing bonus (pro-rated for the amount of contract that is to be terminated), a defense against these very scenarios. Engels reports that that process is underway.

It still seems overwhelmingly likely that the Russian center will return to the KHL this season, ending what can’t even be called a promising NHL career. In three games he scored his first goal, but was then sent back down to the AHL because of a combination of roster constraints and inconsistent play. When he does, watch out for him on the next iteration of the Russian Olympic roster. Though he obviously wasn’t included yet, he will become a candidate for selection as soon as he returns home.

Earlier updates

• Though there seemed to be some hope Monday morning when a report surfaced that Vadim Shipachyov’s agent was still talking to teams about a possible trade, that glimmer of hope has been destroyed. Engels reports that the Vegas Golden Knights’ forward has decided to return to Russia, and will be put on unconditional waivers tomorrow in order to mutually terminate his contract.