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William Bitten Signs With Spartak Moscow

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Free agent forward William Bitten has signed a one-year contract with Spartak Moscow of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, the team announced in a press release. He played last season with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds in the back half of a two-year, two-way deal with the Blues before becoming a Group VI UFA in July.

The 26-year-old only got one NHL opportunity before heading overseas – a four-game call-up with St. Louis in 2022-23. The Ottawa native logged one assist and 10 hits with a +1 rating, but failed to record a shot attempt while averaging 6:39 per game.

A third-round pick of the Canadiens in 2016, Bitten never suited up for Montreal or their AHL affiliate in Laval. He did sign his entry-level contract with them shortly before his draft rights were set to expire in 2018 after completing a four-year stint in the Ontario Hockey League, but he was traded to the Wild for Gustav Olofsson before the 2018-19 campaign began. In the Minnesota system, Bitten struggled to build on his strong offensive production in juniors, limited to 77 points in 168 games with AHL Iowa before he was traded again to the Blues in 2021.

His offensive acumen seemed to improve somewhat after the move to the Blues’ affiliate in Springfield, posting 103 points in 178 games over the past three seasons. But the speedy 5’11” forward was still never able to put himself in consideration for full-time NHL duties and has already passed through waivers unclaimed multiple times. The 2018 OHL champion now heads to Moscow, where he joins a Spartak offense headlined by former Canucks and Sharks winger Nikolay Goldobin, 2012 Stanley Cup champion Andrei Loktionov and Golden Knights prospect Ivan Morozov.

International Notes: Konovalov, Zizka, Kampfer

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Oilers goaltending prospect Ilya Konovalov is on the move in his native Russia. His Kontinental Hockey League player rights were traded from Dynamo Moscow to Admiral Vladivostok today, per a team release.

Konovalov, 26, is coming off a pair of spectacular seasons in the Russian capital. The 2019 third-round pick posted a .921 SV%, 2.05 GAA, three shutouts and 21-12-3 record in 42 games last season.

Konovalov spent the 2021-22 campaign in North America after signing his entry-level contract with the Oilers, but struggled amid high expectations. He only got into 17 games with AHL Bakersfield with an .893 SV%, 2.73 GAA and 5-7-5 record. He didn’t see any NHL ice, and was returned on loan to Dynamo for 2022-23.

The Oilers issued Konovalov a qualifying offer when his ELC expired, but he opted to remain with Dynamo in 2023-24. They still hold his NHL signing rights through July 13 of next year, meaning they could bring him back next offseason without competition. He doesn’t yet have a contract for 2024-25 with Vladivostok, but if he ends up signing a one-year deal, that’ll be something to watch.

In 196 career KHL games, the 2019 KHL Rookie of the Year has a 2.11 GAA, .922 SV%, 20 shutouts, and a 96-66-18 record.

Other updates from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean:

  • One of the longest-tenured players in the professional ranks worldwide has called it a career. Former Kings defenseman Tomas Zizka, who last played in the NHL before the 2004-05 lockout, officially announced his retirement today, per Hokej.cz. Zizka, 44, was a sixth-round pick of the Kings in 1998 and played 25 games with them in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, scoring twice and adding six assists for eight points with a -8 rating. He spent the balance of his career in his native Czechia aside from a brief stint in Russia in 2004-05, playing in parts of 22 Czech Extraliga seasons with Brno, Prague and Zlin. He’d spent the last two seasons in the third-tier 2. liga with Hokej Vyskov, where he was named to this year’s All-Star Game while posting 25 points in 44 games.
  • The KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk officially announced the signing of free agent defenseman Steven Kampfer today. The club said last month that they’d reached an agreement to bring Kampfer to Russia, but it wasn’t set in stone until now. The 35-year-old is a veteran of 231 NHL games but hasn’t suited up at the game’s highest level since 2020-21. He spent all of last season in the minors, where he captained the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners while under contract with the Coyotes. It’ll be his second KHL season after suiting up for Ak Bars Kazan in 2021-22, when he was one of the league’s best defensemen with 30 points and a +7 rating in 46 games.

KHL Notes: Blais, Barabanov, Miftakhov

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With NHL interest not being to his liking, it appears as if free agent winger Sammy Blais is considering options in the KHL, according to Metaratings’ Dmitry Levin.  The 28-year-old had a breakout showing in 2022-23, notching 25 points in 71 games, the bulk of which came after being reacquired by St. Louis; he had 20 points in 31 contests down the stretch that year.  However, Blais wasn’t able to carry over that success into last season as injuries and ineffectiveness limited him to just 53 games where he had only one goal and six assists along with 194 hits in 9:41 of action.  From a longer-term standpoint, the idea of Blais going overseas where he can play a bigger role and work on his offensive game makes some sense in the hopes of trying to get back to North America with a better market than he appears to have now.

Other KHL news:

  • Earlier this week, UFA winger Alexander Barabanov signed a two-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan but it wasn’t for a lack of NHL interest. His agent Yuri Nikolaev told AllHockey.ru that he had NHL options on the table but that they didn’t suit him.  Speculatively, that’s likely to mean that teams were coming in with low-cost offers (or even tryout agreements) following a rough year that saw him record just four goals and nine assists in 46 games with San Jose, well below the 47 points in 68 games he put up in 2022-23.
  • Former Tampa Bay goalie prospect Amir Miftakhov wasn’t a fan of playing in the AHL early in his career, which eventually led to a mutual contract termination. However, he might be open to a change of heart, telling AllHockey.ru that he would be ready to play in the AHL moving forward.  The 24-year-old was limited to just nine KHL appearances last season but has a 2.20 GAA and a .919 SV% over five years at that level.  He’s under contract with Ak Bars Kazan through the upcoming season but if he’s still willing to go to the AHL when free agency opens up, he’ll likely garner some NHL interest at that time.

Afternoon Notes: Perfetti, Chernyshov, Wranglers

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Recent trade rumors have suggested the Winnipeg Jets offered Cole Perfetti for Carolina Hurricane forward Martin Necas. However, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Suns has emphasized that there’s no truth to the claim, though Carolina did show interest in acquiring Perfetti. Billeck adds that Necas wasn’t interested in signing long-term in Winnipeg, driving a wedge into trade negotiations.

Necas, 25, has since signed a two-year extension that walks him to unrestricted free agency in 2026, giving him a chance to hand-pick where he spends his prime years. Necas has come into form over the last two seasons, posting a collective 52 goals and 124 points in 159 games. He’s developed into a high-energy scorer with the ability to play both wing and center.

Perfetti, 22, offers that same flexibility, though he’s still searching for his footing at the NHL level. He managed 19 goals and 38 points in 71 games this season despite inconsistent, and controversial, ice time. Perfetti looks poised to join Necas’ ranks of top-six goal-scorers over the next few seasons, though the pair’s age disparity makes them tough to evaluate side-by-side.

Other notes from around the league:

  • San Jose Sharks prospect Igor Chernyshov shared with Sergey Demidov of Russia’s Responsible Gaming that he’ll likely be moving to the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit after San Jose’s training camp. Chernyshov signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks on Thursday and will move to the CHL with rare pro experience, having played in 39 games with the KHL’s Dynamo Moskva over the last two seasons. He’s scored just five points in those appearances – deceptively low considering the impact he brings shift-to-shift. Chernyshov showed a bit more offense in the MHL – Russia’s U21 junior league – with 66 points in 60 games over the same span. He will now be tasked with finding his footing and rediscovering that production in Saginaw, as he fights to earn a spot among San Jose’s pro ranks.
  • The AHL’s Calgary Wranglers have announced the signings of forward Connor Mylymok, defender Charles Martin, and goaltender Connor Murphy. Mylymok and Martin have inked two-year AHL/ECHL contracts, while Murphy re-signs with the Wranglers on a one-way AHL deal. Murphy found his stride after earning an AHL call-up last season, posting a .922 save percentage across 15 games with the Wranglers. With Dustin Wolf set for a promotion to the NHL, Murphy will battle with Devin Cooley and Waltteri Ignatjew for a hardy AHL role. Meanwhile, Mylymok and Martin will continue their pursuit of a call-up from the ECHL.

Michael McLeod Signs With Barys Astana

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Free agent center Michael McLeod has signed a one-year contract with Kazakhstan’s Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League, the team announced. The former Devil is one of five players awaiting trial after being charged with sexual assault in connection to an alleged 2018 assault involving members of the Canadian men’s national junior team. McLeod is the only one of the group facing two counts’ worth of charges, the London Police Service confirmed in January.

Four of the five players charged were signed to NHL contracts last season – McLeod, Callan Foote, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart. All were slated to become RFAs at the end of the season, but none were given qualifying offers by their respective teams, who relinquished their signing rights.

McLeod is the second player facing charges to sign a contract to play in the KHL this season. Dube signed a one-year deal with Dinamo Minsk last month.

There’s no set date for a jury trial for the five players in question yet, although it may come soon. After a virtual pre-trial hearing in June, the justice overseeing the case told the players’ legal representatives “to return to the courtroom on August 13 to ’potentially’ firm up the dates for the jury trial” (via Ian Mendes of The Athletic).

The KHL’s preseason is already underway. The league’s regular season starts in early September.

McLeod, who the Devils drafted 12th overall in 2016, had 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 45 games last season before taking leave from the team in advance of the charges.

CSKA Moscow Signs Nikita Okhotyuk, Ivan Prosvetov, Dmitri Samorukov

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Kontinental Hockey League club CSKA Moscow is hard at work today getting their 2024-25 roster set in stone. After making a trio of rumored signings official earlier in the day, they’ve made three more. Flames RFA defenseman Nikita Okhotyuk, as well as free-agent netminder Ivan Prosvetov and defender Dmitri Samorukov, are headed to the Russian capital per separate team announcements on Telegram. It’s a two-year deal for Okhotyuk and three-year deals for Prosvetov and Samorukov.

Okhotyuk’s signing was initially reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger all the way back in May. It’s part of a rush of deals that CSKA is trying to get under the wire before a 24-month international transfer ban, imposed by the IIHF as part of the sanctions levied toward them for violating the Flyers’ valid contract with netminder Ivan Fedotov last summer, goes into effect on Aug. 11. But whether that transfer ban will be enforceable remains to be seen after the KHL voted last month to make themselves independent from both the IIHF and the Russian Hockey Federation.

A second-round pick of the Devils in 2019, Okhotyuk played only 15 games for New Jersey before he was dealt to the Sharks in last year’s Timo Meier trade. The 6’1″ defender spent most of last season in the NHL, posting a goal and seven assists for eight points in 43 games for San Jose with a -22 rating, averaging 16:27 per contest. His brief tenure in California came to an end on deadline day, when he was traded to the Flames for a 2024 fifth-round pick. He played sparingly for Calgary down the stretch, posting an assist and a -2 rating in nine games.

Since Calgary issued him a qualifying offer, they’ll still hold Okhotyuk’s NHL signing rights when his deal with CSKA expires in 2026. If he opts to return to the NHL at that time, it’ll need to be with the Flames unless they trade his rights. Calgary will hold his rights until his 27th birthday, meaning Okhotyuk could become an unrestricted free agent on Dec. 4, 2027, if he waits to make an NHL comeback until after that date.

Prosvetov, 25, became a Group VI UFA this summer after spending last season with the Avalanche. A report out of Russia back in April indicated he’d be heading to CSKA. The former fourth-round pick of the Coyotes played a career-high 11 games last season, spending significant time as the No. 2 option in Colorado behind Alexandar Georgiev before Justus Annunen passed him on the depth chart. He was passable but still below-average with a 4-3-1 record, .895 SV% and 3.16 GAA.

The Moscow native hasn’t played in his home country since the 2015-16 campaign, when he suited up for a local U-17 club. He was excellent in AHL action with the Avs’ affiliate, posting a .921 SV% in 21 games, and likely would have had NHL offers if he decided to stay in North America. But it’s clear his mind has been set on returning home for the entirety of the offseason.

Samorukov, meanwhile, is the only member of the trio not to see NHL ice last season. The 2017 third-round pick of the Oilers began the season on an AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 25-year-old eventually landed a two-way deal with Pittsburgh in November, but he never received a call-up and wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer at the end of the season. He last suited up for CSKA while on loan to them for the 2020-21 season, when he posted eight points and a +24 rating in 48 games. He had 15 points and a +7 rating in 64 games for the Baby Pens last year.

Denis Gurianov Signs Two-Year Deal In Russia

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August 1: The KHL’s rush of transactions today continues. Gurianov’s two-year deal with CSKA was cemented today, per the league.

July 4: Not long ago, it looked as if Denis Gurianov was set to be a key secondary contributor for Dallas.  However, he has struggled considerably for the last couple of years and it appears he’s opting for a change of scenery as Alexander Balabanov of Sport-Express reports that the winger is expected to sign a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.  Back in April, it was reported that this was the likely outcome for the unrestricted free agent.

The 27-year-old was a first-round pick back in 2015 and while he didn’t become a consistent top-six option for the Stars, he put up a 20-goal season and averaged 30 points between 2019-20 and 2021-22, earning himself a couple of $2.9MM paydays in the process.  But he struggled in 2022-23, eventually being moved to Montreal who elected to non-tender him that summer.

Last year, Gurianov didn’t have a great market in free agency, waiting ten days before securing a one-year, $850K deal with Nashville.  Things didn’t go well there either as he cleared waivers at the end of training camp, playing in 27 games with AHL Milwaukee where he had 30 points.  That earned him a promotion in January but he played sparingly with Nashville for two months before being traded to Philadelphia where he played even less down the stretch.  All told, he finished up the campaign with just 18 NHL appearances where he had one goal and one assist.

With a market that doesn’t appear to be materializing for him in North America, it would make sense for him to return to Russia where he’d have a chance to play a prominent role much closer to home.  Assuming a deal is finalized, Gurianov will depart the NHL with 298 career appearances where he put up 52 goals and 61 assists.

Ruslan Iskhakov Signs Two-Year Deal With CSKA

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August 1: Iskhakov has signed a two-year deal with CSKA, the team announced on Telegram on Thursday. His NHL signing rights will still belong to the Islanders when his KHL contract expires in 2026.

July 6: After making his NHL debut late in the season and even getting into a playoff game, it seemed reasonable to think that winger Ruslan Iskhakov was in the Islanders’ plans for next season, at least as a player who could be called up early when injuries struck.  However, it doesn’t appear as if that will be an option as Championat’s Dmitry Storozhev relays that Iskhakov is one of six players expected to sign with CSKA Moscow of the KHL in the coming days.

The 23-year-old was a second-round pick (43rd overall) of the Isles back in 2018 despite being one of the smallest players in that draft class, coming in at just 5’7.  He spent two years at the University of Connecticut before turning pro, spending time in both Finland and Germany before coming back to North America for the 2022-23 campaign.

In his two seasons with AHL Bridgeport, Iskhakov was one of their most consistent scoring threats.  He finished third in rookie scoring in 2022-23 with 51 points in 69 games and nearly duplicated that last season, tallying 50 points in 69 games while adding an assist in his lone regular season appearance with New York.

That was enough for the Islanders to tender him a two-way qualifying offer last month worth a little under $814K at the NHL level.  However, it appears that Iskhakov will eschew that to return home where he hasn’t played since before being drafted.

Worth noting is that CSKA Moscow is under sanctions from the IIHF regarding their handling of Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, including a two-year ban on transfers.  However, Storozhev notes that the State Duma adopted a bill that allows leagues to approve regulations regardless of international federations, effectively bypassing the IIHF sanctions which will allow Iskhakov and others to join CSKA in the near future once the bill is signed into law.

Sharks RFA Egor Afanasyev Signs Three-Year Deal With CSKA Moscow

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Sharks RFA left winger Egor Afanasyev is returning to his native Russia. He’s signed a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow, per a press release from the Kontinental Hockey League.

Afanasyev, 23, was drafted 45th overall by Nashville in 2019. He signed his entry-level contract later that summer, spending one season on loan to the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires and another on loan to CSKA before arriving in the Preds’ system in earnest in 2021. The 6’4″, 212-lb winger spent most of the last three seasons playing with AHL Milwaukee, only making 19 NHL appearances for Nashville in brief call-up duties in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He posted a lone goal and a -8 rating while averaging 11:04 per game.

The Preds parted ways with Afanasyev in June, trading the RFA’s signing rights to the Sharks in exchange for struggling 2020 first-rounder Ozzy Wiesblatt. San Jose issued Afanasyev a qualifying offer before the June 30 deadline, retaining his signing rights, but weren’t able to agree to a deal. Shortly after free agency opened, Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now reported that Afanasyev was set to sign a two-year deal with CSKA. It ended up being a year longer than expected, but negotiations for Afanasyev to return home have evidently been ongoing for months.

Afanasyev has rarely played in Russia throughout his junior and professional career, however. He came to the United States in 2016, suiting up for a Detroit-based U16 team before beginning his major junior career in the United States Hockey League. His only notable experience in the Russian pyramid came on his one-year loan back to CSKA in the 2020-21 season, where he recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in 16 KHL games. He also appeared on brief loans to Zvezda Moscow in the VHL, Russia’s second-tier pro league, and Krasnaya Armiya Moscow in the MHL, Russia’s top junior league.

The three-year deal with CSKA isn’t quite long enough to walk Afanasyev to unrestricted free agency in the NHL’s eyes, though. He’ll be 26 years old upon expiry, so if he wants to return to the NHL in the summer of 2027 when his KHL deal runs out, the Sharks will still have his signing rights. Afanasyev won’t be a UFA until his 27th birthday, which is Jan. 23, 2028.

Alexander Barabanov Signs With KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan

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Alexander Barabanov, who’s spent the last four seasons in the NHL with the Maple Leafs and Sharks, has signed a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan in Russia, per a team release.

The 30-year-old winger arrived in the NHL as an undrafted free agent signing by Toronto in the 2020 offseason, but couldn’t break through amongst a deep Maple Leafs offense. The Russian had just one assist through 13 games in fourth-line minutes before the Leafs traded him to San Jose for minor-league forward Antti Suomela, giving Barabanov a better chance at frequent NHL minutes.

It was a prudent move from the Sharks. Barabanov quickly became a top-six option for a paper-thin San Jose forward group, averaging north of 15 minutes per game in each of his three full seasons in the Bay Area. In 2022-23, he was their best winger not named Timo Meier, finishing fifth on the team in scoring with 47 points (15 goals, 32 assists) in 68 games. A pending UFA, some thought San Jose would move on from Barabanov last summer, but he was still with the Sharks come opening night.

Unfortunately, 2023-24 proved to be somewhat of a nightmare for Barabanov. A finger injury cost him a good chunk of the first two months of the campaign, and a lower-body injury kept him out of action at the end of the season. Overall, he was limited to 46 contests, struggling with only four goals and nine assists for 13 points despite still seeing top-six minutes. He shot a career-low 6.0% and had a -24 rating, although he still managed to post strong possession numbers compared to his teammates.

But with the lack of production on the league’s worst team, it wasn’t surprising to see a report last month that Barabanov was receiving calls from Kontinental Hockey League teams to return home. He was previously a member of SKA St. Petersburg from 2013 to 2020, recording 137 points (62 goals, 75 assists) in 262 games in parts of seven seasons. SKA’s roster is full after making a notable signing of their own yesterday in Evgeny Kuznetsov, so he won’t be returning there. But the St. Petersburg native still finds a good landing spot with Ak Bars, which also added NHL veteran Nic Petan to its forward group last month.

Barabanov played 206 NHL games over his four-year stint in North America, scoring 32 goals and adding 75 assists for 107 points with a -58 rating.

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