A familiar name is reportedly interested in returning to the NHL. According to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, Andrei Kostitsyn is looking to come back to the NHL after spending the last four seasons skating in the KHL. Though he’s interested in a return, Kostitsyn is only pursuing a one-year contract.
Andrei Kostitsyn wants to return to the NHL after four years in Russia. Believed to be some preliminary talks ongoing for a one-year deal.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 25, 2015
Kostitsyn already has plenty of NHL time under his belt. He spent the majority of his 398-game NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens, but he most recently spent some time with the Nashville Predators in 2011-12. His time in Nashville wasn’t very positive as he reportedly broke curfew and was suspended as a result.
At age 30, Kostitsyn has plenty of gas left in the tank and it’s reported that several NHL teams are interested in his services. Though Kostitsyn’s time in the NHL ended on a sour note, his 35 points in 50 KHL games in 2014-15 have at least a handful of teams willing to gauge the price of a one-year contract.
As for a potential contract for Kostitsyn, a one-year deal would make a lot of sense. Teams will be hesitant to splash out too much money and commit to too many years seeing as Kostitsyn has been removed from the NHL for the last four years. There were also quite a few criticisms of his play during his time in the NHL as well. A one-year deal would involve minimal risk. On Kostitsyn’s end, a one-year deal would allow him to test the waters in the NHL a second time and should he prove himself, he could go on to earn a larger contract.
