Today was a busy day overseas for former NHL players, with several familiar names inking new deals. Both Sergei Kostitsyn and Andrei Kostitsyn have found new teams, though will not be together this season. Sergei, 33, has signed with the Bratislava Capitals in the ICEHL for the rest of the year as he returns from a back injury that kept him out in 2019-20. Once a 50-point man in the NHL with the Nashville Predators, he has been playing in the KHL since 2013.
His older brother Andrei also has a new deal, this time leaving Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the KHL for Dynamo Pardubice of the Czech league. The 35-year-old had 10 points in 24 KHL games this year but will try a new league for the first time since leaving the NHL in 2012.
- J.T. Brown, who spent all of last season with the Iowa Wild of the AHL, is off to Sweden to play for IF Bjorkloven of the second tier. The former Tampa Bay Lightning forward has 365 career NHL games under his belt but finds himself looking for work like so many other fringe players. Brown had 22 points in 62 games for Iowa last year, while racking up 55 penalty minutes. He’ll be joined by Francis Perron, who has at times been a standout in the minor leagues but never did get an NHL opportunity. The 24-year-old had 18 points in 42 games last season with the Utica Comets and will now test his skills overseas.
- Zach Boychuk, who last played in the NHL during the 2014-15 season and has spent the last several years in the KHL and NLA, will now be suiting up for Eisbaren Berlin in the German DEL. Originally a first-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2008, the 31-year-old Boychuk had 13 points in 15 games for HC Fribourg-Gotteron last season.
Boychuk follows me on IG. He’s an interesting dude. I remember asking him if he’d comeback to the NHL at some point, he pretty much casted some doubt. He’s still young enough that maybe a 2 or 3yr deal wouldn’t be out of the question.
@vincent k. mcmahon – Unfortunately for Johnny, that flat cap crap is in his way, as well as the injury concern that teams probably have. I’d love to know whether he’s really good to go, or if this was a “coerced retirement.” That has to come directly from Johnny, himself.
This is Zach Boychuk that’s in question
@Jordan Promo – Fair enough. My bad! Sorry @Vincent!
@Mac it’s all good. I probably should have specified which Boychuk it was.
@Vincent – I appreciate that, but I was engaged in multiple thoughts, including the what-if scenarios should some teams not get to 56 games, and somehow read Zach, but substituted Johnny, just because of recency. I’ll try to be better next time! :) Thanks!
Seems like Sergei and Andrei ought to be older than they are.
Yea they were around forever ago. They both seamed like they had potential when they were with the habs. I think Sergei fought with some teammates (PK & Pleckanc if i remeber correctly) and was subsequently traded. His brother AK47 played well with the habs for a little while after and scored 20g or at a 20g pace each year with them but then he was traded to the preds aswell. I remeber liking him and Kovalev alot
@Murphy NFLD – Do you remember Kovalev and his “lucky troll” when he was with NYR? After saying (out loud at my TV) “lucky troll???”, I noticed that some Russians can’t hold their booze very well! :) Still, Kovy was a hoot! I do vaguely remember Sergei’s stinkfests there, too. Hadn’t thought about those incidents in years. Thanks for the nostalgia!