The Montreal Canadiens are set to sign defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov, then loan him right back to the KHL.
The move is expected to become official in the coming hours or days, according to a report from Marco D'Amico on Thursday.
It's a two-year entry-level contract. Standard stuff on paper. But the fine print is where this gets interesting.
Konyushkov will be loaned immediately back to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod once the ink dries.
Here's the wrinkle. Because he's 23, that first year of the ELC burns off while he's still playing in Russia.
That's a calculated play by Kent Hughes and the Canadiens front office, not an accident of scheduling.
Expect the Habs to announce the signing of Bogdan Konyushkov in the coming hours/days, per source close to the situation.
Should be a 2-yr ELC, with an immediate loan back to the KHL with Torpedo.
Because Bogdan is 23, he will burn the first year of the deal while in the KHL.
It lets Montreal lock up a rights asset without opening a roster spot or touching a full ELC slide on North American ice.
Why the Canadiens are stashing another asset overseas
Is this a hockey move or a paperwork move? Right now, it looks a lot more like the second one.
Montreal has made a habit of accumulating names on paper long before those names ever see the Bell Centre crease. Think of it like planting seeds in a garden you're not sure will get enough sun.
Some sprout. Plenty don't.
The Canadiens finished this season at 48-24-10, good for 106 points and sixth overall under head coach Martin St-Louis.
Their back end already carries serious weight, with Noah Dobson signed at a $9,500,000 cap hit as one of the highest-paid defensemen in the league.
Adding Konyushkov to that mix, even as a depth stash, tells you Hughes is still hoarding assets on the blue line heading into the offseason.
Whether Konyushkov ever plays a shift in a Habs jersey is a different question entirely. Nothing in this deal suggests urgency to bring him over anytime soon.
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For now, he stays in Nizhny Novgorod. The clock on his contract starts ticking regardless.
Should the Canadiens be adding more contracts to their KHL pipeline instead of North American depth?
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