At least one more Lightning prospect will be playing in the coming weeks as Dynamo Moskva of the KHL announced that Tampa Bay has loaned Alexei Lipanov to them. However, unlike many of the players that have been loaned overseas while they wait for training camps to open, this one is for the duration of the season.
The 21-year-old was a third-round pick (76th overall) back in 2017 but his first full professional season didn’t go as planned. Lipanov played in just four AHL games with Syracuse and instead spent the majority of the year with ECHL Orlando. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t the most productive with the Solar Bears either, notching just nine goals and seven assists in 37 games.
This won’t be Lipanov’s first stint in Dynamo’s system as he spent parts of three years in that system before coming to the OHL after being drafted. Perhaps a return home will be enough to get him going offensively again.
Lipanov still has two years left on his entry-level deal with Tampa Bay. As he’s no longer junior-aged, the contract will not slide a year as a result of this loan so assuming he returns for the 2021-22 season, he’ll have some work to do to secure a qualifying offer.