Earlier this month the Carolina Hurricanes were testing the trade market for young forward Valentin Zykov, but apparently haven’t found a taker yet. Instead, the team today announced they will assign Zykov to the minor leagues on a conditioning loan, allowing him to get back on the ice with a professional team instead of watching from the press box or end of the bench. The 23-year old forward has played in 13 games for the Hurricanes this season, but is averaging fewer than 10 minutes of ice time. He’ll now get a chance to get his development back on track with the Charlotte Checkers.
Zykov, 23, was originally selected 37th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2013 draft after a very successful rookie season in North America. Coming over from Russia to play for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL, the talented forward scored 40 goals and was named both QMJHL and CHL Rookie of the Year. That shot his star and draft stock skyward, and many believed he was destined for greatness at the NHL level. Unfortunately, that success hasn’t come yet as Zykov has been limited in his NHL experience. After failing to find much offensive success in the AHL for the Kings, he was flipped to Carolina as part of a deal to acquire Kris Versteeg and joined the Checkers. In the years since, Zykov has only played 25 NHL contests and been given rare opportunities to really show what he can do offensively.
Still, his potential does pose something of a problem for the Hurricanes. Zykov would likely be claimed if the team tried to sneak him through waivers at this point, if only by a rebuilding team that believes they could take a chance with the former top prospect. Other teams around the league likely know that decision is coming, and are wary to trade any real assets to Carolina for his services. Instead, the Hurricanes will try to either spark his confidence or showcase his skills with a stint in the minor leagues where he will likely be given plenty of opportunity with the Checkers’ top line and powerplay unit. He can be kept in the minor leagues for two weeks.