Promising Young Goalie Ditches the NHL for Russia

It's not uncommon in the offseason to see NHLers sign in places like Sweden, Switzerland, and Russia. This one comes as a bit of a surprise, though as the person in question had been showing tons of promise.

Unrestricted Free Agent goaltender Dylan Ferguson, 24, has decided to sign a new contract with Dinamo Minsk of Russia's KHL. Ferguson doesn't have a lot of NHL experience. But in two games with the Ottawa Senators last season, he put up a goals against average of 2.52 and a save percentage of .940. He also played eight games for the Bellville Senators of the AHL, with a GAA of 2.30, and a .926 SV%.

While Ferguson has not said exactly why he decided to leave the NHL, there are usually a couple of reasons why players with promise will head overseas. Ferguson will likely make more money in Russia than he would have playing in the minors. It has also been noted several times that the AHL is a developmental league that will play prospects over veterans at the cost of winning games. This does not happen in the KHL. A team there is put together for the sole purpose of winning the Gagarin Cup, and prospects who can't keep up will sit in favour of better players.

Dylan Ferguson with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18, where he played one NHL game

Ferguson was initially taken by the Dallas Stars in the seventh round of the 2017 entry draft. He was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights two days later in exchange for a 2nd round pick and Marc Methot. After three years with the Knights, he was not made a qualifying offer, making him a free agent. He signed with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, and was traded to Bellville in February of this year.

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