Colorado Avalanche Suspend Danila Zhuravlyov, Returns To Russia
Colorado Avalanche defense prospect Danila Zhuravlyov has been suspended by the team and will return home to Russia, as announced today. Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports the suspension is not related to any on-ice or off-ice incident, but rather comes as a result of his returning to Russia for “personal and family-related reasons.”
There had been rumors swirling of Zhuravlyov potentially returning to his home country for the past month, mainly from Russian outlets. Mikhail Zislis of Sport-Express reported last week that Zhuravlyov’s former KHL club, Ak Bars Kazan, was aiming to have the 22-year-old return to the club.
A 2018 fifth-round selection of the Avalanche, Zhuravlyov made his North American debut this season and registered an assist in 14 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. He demonstrated solid defensive upside in the past handful of seasons with Kazan.
Zhuravlyov’s entry-level contract runs through the 2023-24 season. If it becomes clear that Zhuravlyov will not return to the Avalanche organization, a mutual termination is entirely possible.
Colorado Avalanche Sign Danila Zhuravlyov
The Colorado Avalanche have joined in on the signing spree, inking one of their own Russian draft picks. The team has announced that Danila Zhuravlyov has signed his two-year entry-level contract.
It’s been four years since the Avalanche selected Zhuravlyov in the fifth round of the NHL draft, but after another full season in the KHL, they’ve finally added him to the organization. The 22-year-old left-shot defenseman had six points in 43 games for Ak Bars Kazan this season in a limited role, but saw that playing time increase significantly in the playoffs.
For a system that is set to lose several minor league veterans–Roland McKeown, Dennis Gilbert, Jordan Gross, and Jacob MacDonald are all scheduled for unrestricted free agency–there perhaps will be an opening for a player like Zhuravlyov to quickly make an impact. Whether his play can translate, or even improve, at the AHL level remains to be seen, though the young defenseman will come with three full seasons of KHL action under his belt.