Saturday: The NHL and NHLPA have agreed on a solution that will allow Shipachyov to leave the Golden Knights and return to the KHL, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports. It’s expected that this will be finalized on Monday with Shipachyov filing voluntary retirement papers instead of going through the contract termination process.
Friday: The saga of Vadim Shipachyov still hasn’t come to any sort of conclusion, with the suspended forward back in Russia awaiting some sort of resolution in the fight over his contract. While he’s made his decision to leave the Golden Knights and their AHL team, Vegas has been looking for a guarantee that he won’t be claimed or re-sign with any other team in the league before they grant him a mutual termination.
Now, LeBrun reports on TSN’s Insider Trading that this is more than just a fight between Shipachyov and Vegas. Because Shipachyov would need to pay back almost all of his $2MM signing bonus—something that he’s apparently willing and able to do—the NHLPA is involved. The players’ union is “not big on players paying back bonuses” according to LeBrun, and don’t want to necessarily set a precedent like this.
None of this lends itself to the idea that Shipachyov will play in the NHL this season, but it certainly could take a little longer to get an official release. The 30-year old Russian center was a failure in Vegas, though he wasn’t given all that long of a leash in the first place. In just three games with the team, he scored one goal. Perhaps it will be the only one he’ll ever score as an NHL player.
How can you give up on someone after three games?
That someone doesn’t want to be there. There is a significant cultural difference between the US and Russia. That being said, I am sure his relegation to the AHL due to an unwillingness to lose a lesser player certainly played a role in his desire to leave. I don’t see any way that future free agents and their representation are not going to hold that against Vegas in negotiations.
He did nothing to prove to Gallant he belonged in the lineup. How many other teams would keep someone ought to be a healthy scratch that doesn’t have to go through waivers. When almost everyone else would.
No he didn’t want to be in the ahl but that’s to bad he was getting is 5 million no matter where he played nothing but a cry baby to soft for the nhl
They screwed him by sending him to minors because they had other players who were out of options.
The first time maybe. The second time he was just out played by other players like Alex Tuch
Three games? That’s all you get then To the dumpster? He got screwed
How is it screwing someone when he’s still making his 5.1 million in the ahl
If he doesn’t pay back his bonus, what’s to stop other foreign stars from signing a big contract and heading back over seas. He should have to pay back a large percentage of the signing bonus
Under the CBA, if his contract is terminated he will have to pay back all but $86,000 of the signing bonus.
Hopefully this soap opera will be over on Monday!
It jumped the shark a while ago