After seeing his NHL contract terminated, Alexander Volkov didn’t have to wait long to find employment. The young forward has signed a four-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, valid through April 30, 2025.
Volkov, 24, signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Ducks this offseason and was expected to finally get a full-time opportunity at the NHL level. That’s not how things played out though, as he was waived before the start of the season and sent to the minor leagues. Every team in the league had a chance at him then, but there were no takers for the former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect. After two games in the AHL, he agreed to a mutual contract termination and quickly jumped ship back to the KHL.
SKA is the organization that Volkov played for in his junior days, and the one that developed him into a top prospect that went 48th overall in 2017. There is tremendous talent in the 6’1″ winger, who scored at least 23 goals and 45 points in each of his first two AHL seasons, but the consistency hasn’t been good enough to secure a role in the NHL for very long.
A four-year deal takes him off the radar for quite some time, but don’t forget entirely about Volkov. He’ll only be 28 when he becomes an unrestricted free agent again and regular playing time in the KHL could certainly push his overall development in the right direction. Teams are sure to keep an eye on him while he’s playing for one of Russia’s top programs.