Lyubimov, Kalinin return; Sorokin stays – Transfer highlights, June 1-6

In the week which began with the Canadian nation celebrating its 150th birthday, a hefty contingent of players from the Great White North decided to sign on the dotted line for KHL clubs.

27-year-old Canadian Brandon McMillan has left Torpedo for Dinamo Riga. The Nizhny Novgorod club receives financial compensation for the former Ducks and Coyotes forward.

Avtomobilist welcomed 26-year-old Canadian forward Taylor Beck, who has nearly 100 NHL games under his belt after spells with the Predators, Islanders, Oilers, and Rangers, on a one-year contract.

Barys brought in two Canadians: 25-year-old forward Linden Vey, with NHL career stats of 139 appearances and 44 (14+30) points from tours of duty with the Kings, Canucks and Flames, and

23-year-old defenseman Darren Dietz, who played 13 NHL games for the Montréal Canadiens in 2015-16, but spent last season in the AHL with the Hershey Bears and Texas Stars.

Canadian international goalie Ben Scrivens, whose resume shows NHL duty guarding the net for the Maple Leafs, Kings, Oilers, and Canadiens, and who spent 2016-17 at Dinamo Minsk, has signed a one-year contract with Salavat Yulaev. 

Dinamo Riga enlisted the services of 29-year-old Canadian defenseman Karl Stollery, who has been on NHL duty with the Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, and New Jersey Devils (NHL totals: 23 games, 3 assists), but spent the end of last season with the Devils’ AH affiliate, Albany. Joining him in the Latvian capital is United States international forward Danny Kristo, 27, who spent the past five years in the AHL, most recently with the Charlotte Checkers. Both the North Americans have signed up for one year.

Two Canadians signaled that they were happy to stay with their current employers. Traktor forward Paul Szczechura, 31, formerly of Buffalo and Tampa Bay, has agreed to stay in Chelyabinsk for two more years, and his compatriot, former Chicago, Boston, Ottawa and Montreal forward Martin St-Pierre, 33, has extended his contract with Barys by one year.

Dynamo Moscow's 31-year-old offense-minded defenseman Mat Robinson, who represented Canada at last season's Deutschland Cup, has moved north of the Moscow river to CSKA.

Robinson was one of several players to depart from crisis-stricken Dynamo during the week. Among the mini-exodus were 32-year-old Russian international forward Denis Kokarev, who after seven seasons and two Gagarin Cups with the Blue-and-Whites has joined Salavat Yulaev, as has 23-year-old forward Artyom Fyodorov. Both players have signed up for two years in Ufa. 25-year-old forward Maxim Karpov has moved north to SKA on a one-year contract, while 28-year-old forward AnselGalimov has signed for Avangard.

SKA has signed Russian international forward Sergei Kalinin on a three-year contract. The 26-year-old, who won World Championship gold in 2014, spent six seasons with Avangard Omsk before moving to the NHL, where in 121 games with the New Jersey Devils he recorded 19 (10+9) points before spending the latter part of last season with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL.

The Saint Petersburg Army Men also paid financial compensation to Traktor for the rights to Washington Capitals forwardEvgeny Kuznetsov.

Russian international forward Roman Lyubimov has returned to CSKA after a season in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers (47 games, 4 goals, 2 assists). The 25-year-old has signed a three-year deal. Moscow’s Army Men also recruited 29-year-old Swedish goaltender Lars Johansson, who spent 2016-17 in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs.

26-year-old Swedish goaltender Magnus Hellberg, who made two appearances last season for the New York Rangers but spent most of the campaign in the AHL guarding the net for the Hartford Wolf Pack, has signed for Kunlun Red Star. Joining him in China is 19-year-old Belarusian defenseman Pavel Vorobey, who has agreed a two-year deal.

Jokerit has recruited 23-year-old Finnish forward Henri Ikonen, who last year turned out in the AHL for the Syracuse Crunch, on a two-year deal.

Belarusian forward Dmitry Buynitsky, 20, who spent last year at the Quebec Ramparts in the QMJHL, has signed a one-year deal with Dinamo Minsk, with whom he spent the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

Spartak has recruited 23-year-old defenseman Dmitry Sinitsyn, who spent 2016-17 at Lada, on a one-year deal.

24-year-old forward Bogdan Potekhin, who wore the colors of Metallurg Magnitogorsk through six seasons and two Gagarin Cups, has moved to Amur. The Far East club also gave a tryout contract to another 24-year-old, defenseman, Dmitry Shvidenko, formerly of HC Sochi and Ugra, and has paid financial compensation to Avtomobilist for 27-year-old defenseman Pavel Turbin.

21-year-old defenseman Damir Sharipzyanov, who last season donned the colors of the Ontario Reign in the AHL and the Manchester Monarchs in the ECHL, has agreed a one-year deal with Neftekhimik. The Nizhnekamsk club also paid financial compensation to Ak Bars in exchange for 22-year-old defenseman Vladislav Arbuzov.

Avtomobilist has sealed a two-year deal with 32-year-old forward Dmitry Pestunov, who spent 2016-17 at Traktor.

Finally, the most significant non-mover of the week was CSKA’s highly-rated young goaltender, Ilya Sorokin, who sealed an improved deal which keeps him at the club for three more years.