An interesting development coming out of the KHL has St. Petersburg SKA and forward Vladimir Tkachyov mutually agreeing to terminate his contract which will allow the 25-year-old to pursue a career in the National Hockey League.
Tkachyov, or the English translation Tkachev, had originally signed to a 3-year entry-level deal with the Edmonton Oilers back in 2014 after joining the team for an amateur tryout, amassing 3 assists in 3 preseason NHL games with the Oilers. The problem was that the contract had to be voided because Tkachev was still draft-eligible due to not playing the full season in North America that would have opened up his eligibility to sign in the NHL as a free agent.
Tkachyov would ultimately spend the next two seasons in the QMJHL, splitting time between the Moncton Wildcats and the Quebec Ramparts, scoring 79 points in 66 games before returning home to Russia and spending the next 6 seasons bouncing around a bit, playing with St. Petersburg SKA, Vladivostok Admiral and Ufa Salavat Yulayev, surpassing the 40-point plateau twice over that span and coming within a point or two of reaching that mark twice more.
Per SKA's official Twitter account, the club will retain Tkachyov's KHL rights should he choose to return to Russia.
Tkachyov finished in the top-35 in points in the KHL this season, scoring 11 times and adding 27 helpers for 38 points in 45 games this season.
Given the fact that the Oilers are under new management since Tkachyov was last linked to the team, there are no guarantees that they will be in on the playmaker. I would imagine, however, that Ron Francis and the Seattle Kraken will take a look.
Source:
USAtoday.comADS
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