When Kent Hughes traded Evgenii Dadonov to the Dallas Stars, he didn’t get much return in Denis Gurianov. The former first-round pick at the 2015 draft had failed to live up to expectations, and Kent Hughes might have hoped a move to the Montreal Canadiens could jumpstart the 25-year-old, but it wasn’t to be.
At the end of the season, he had played 23 games with the Sainte-Flanelle, putting up only eight points. He would have been an RFA but Hughes did not qualify him and he walked away as an unrestricted free agent.
He signed a one-year deal worth $850,000 with the Nashville Predators. In 14 games with the Preds, he only notched a couple of points and was sent down to the Milwaukee Admirals in the AHL. With Nashville’s affiliate, he recorded 30 points in 27 games, which put him on the the Philadelphia Flyers’ radar who acquired him at the trade deadline. He only dressed for four games in the city of brotherly love and was unable to find a new contract to stay in the NHL for the upcoming season.
Related: Canadiens: Ivan Demidov Back in Action
As a result, Gurianov decided to head back home to Russia and signed a two-year contract with the CSKA Moscow in the KHL. He joins a lot of other NHLers who have decided to sign in the Russian league, such as Evgeni Kuznetsov, Michael McLeod (the second of the five players charged in the 2018 Team Canada scandal to turn to the KHL) and Calgary Flames’ Nikita Okhotiuk.
While Canadiens’ fans would rather hear that Ivan Demidov is coming to the NHL rather than hearing about former NHLers heading overseas, it at least means the Habs’ prized prospect will get to play against more players who have made it to the NHL. As long as SKA St. Petersburg keeps him in the KHL rather than sending him back to the MHL, but that should be the case.
Related
Canadiens: The Line of Communication Is Open with SKA St. Petersburg
Canadiens: More About Demidov
Canadiens: Ivan Demidov clears medicals with SKA St Petersburg
Canadiens: Ivan Demidov Back in Action
Canadiens: Ivan Demidov: Goal Scorer, Young Phenom… YouTuber?
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens’ page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens
