It looks like the Calgary Flames are losing a young defenceman they just acquired to the KHL this season for the next two seasons.
This morning, a new report from TSN’s Darren Dreger indicates that 23-year-old defenceman Nikita Okhotiuk will bolt to Russia after signing a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow.
Nikita Okhotyuk has signed a 2 year deal with CSKA. Clearly no concern with the intentional ban that remains in effect.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 26, 2024
Okhotiuk was a second-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in the 2019 NHL Draft. He spent five seasons in that organization, bouncing between the AHL and the big leagues, but only appeared in 15 games with the Devils during that span.
He was then traded to the San Jose Sharks in February of 2023 as a piece in the trade that sent Timo Meier to the Devils. On the West Coast, Okhotiuk found more consistent playing time and appeared in 43 games this past season with the Sharks before being traded again to the Flames at the trade deadline in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.
In nine games since the trade, Okhotyuk put up just a single assist while playing with Calgary. It sounds like Flames GM Craig Conroy was happy with how the young Russian performed in that short time, as the team is reportedly planning on qualifying Okhotiuk to retain his NHL rights.
That stems from a report by The Athletic’s Julien MacKenzie
Further to Darren’s report, the Flames still intend on qualifying him (he’s an RFA) and retaining his rights. https://t.co/5psmUKFawd
— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) May 26, 2024
The one question about this transaction is whether or not the IIHF will take issue with it. CKSA Moscow was given a one-year ban on international transfers after something similar happened with now-Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov.
It’s a blow to a Flames team trying to retool on the fly after a season that saw them trade out multiple veteran players, including defencemen Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and Nikita Zadorov. Having a young player like Okhotiuk on the backend would make the Flames a better team rather than a freshly drafted 18-year-old.