With veterans Dustin Tokarski and Spencer Martin set to be unrestricted free agents next month, the Hurricanes are expected to make a move to add some depth at the goaltending position. That move could be coming soon as Championat’s Rustam Imanov reports that netminder Amir Miftakhov has rejected extension offers from KHL Ak Bars Kazan and is in the final stages of talks with Carolina about a contract for the upcoming season.
The 25-year-old was a sixth-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2020, going 186th overall. He signed an entry-level deal with them the following year and split the 2021-22 season between AHL Syracuse (22 games) and ECHL Orlando (five appearances). However, Miftakhov wanted to return home instead of staying in the minors and had the final two years of his contract terminated in July 2022.
Since then, Miftakhov has played in the KHL. This past season, he played in 30 games with Kazan, posting a strong 2.18 GAA and a .927 SV% along the way. Those were largely in line with his career numbers of a 2.19 GAA and a .922 SV% in 82 outings over parts of five seasons at that level.
While that performance probably isn’t going to be enough to give him a shot at a full-time spot with the Hurricanes (assuming a deal gets finalized), it could give him a chance to be the starter at AHL Chicago, putting him in line to be the first goalie recalled if injuries arise to Frederik Andersen or Pyotr Kochetkov. It appears that opportunity might be enough for Miftakhov to give playing in North America another shot.