As the calendar flips into August, certain NHLers who remain unsigned are faced with the reality of their current situation. With that in mind, Alexander Barabanov signed a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on Thursday.
Barabanov began his professional hockey career in the KHL where he spent seven seasons with his hometown club SKA St. Peterburg. His NHL career started with the Toronto Maple Leafs when the club signed him to a one-year, entry-level contract on Apr. 7, 2020.
His time in Toronto was limited to just 13 NHL games where he was mostly playing on the fourth line. He recorded one assist. The player was traded to the San Jose Sharks for Antti Suomela.
The Russian forward found immediate success with the Sharks. He finished the latter part of the 2021 season with seven points in nine games. In the following two seasons, Barabanov had 86 points in 138 games, but he struggled on and off the ice last season.
Barabanov battled through COVID, injuries and stints as a healthy scratch in 2023-24, scoring four goals and nine assists in 46 games. Per San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng, Sharks GM Mike Grier expressed no interest in retaining the 5-foot-10 forward.
Barabanov isn’t the only former Maple Leafs player to return to the KHL next season. Nikita Zaitsev signed a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg last month.
Related: Former Maple Leafs Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev Returns to Russia, Signs Four-Year Deal With SKA St. Petersburg
Like Barabanov, Zaitsev was also undrafted and got his first NHL shot with the Leafs. Both were discovered by former Leafs director of player evaluation Jim Paliafito, who departed the Leafs organization in the summer of 2022. He later signed with the New York Islanders, where he was reunited with GM Lou Lamoriello, who served in the same capacity in Toronto from 2015-2018.
Paliafito helped the Islanders land coveted Russian free agent forward Maxim Tsyplakov in May.
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