Former first-round pick Denis Gurianov leaves North America
After spending eight seasons in North America with four different NHL teams, Denis Gurianov has made the decision to return to Russia.
According to reports out of Russia, Gurianov, who became an unrestricted free agent in North America on Monday, has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with KHL club CSKA Moscow.
"As SE has learned, forward Denis Guryanov has reached an agreement with CSKA to sign a two-year contract. The 27-year-old forward has spent the last eight seasons in North America." Sport-Express said.
Gurianov, 27, was selected 12th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, ahead of names such as Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor, Brock Boeser, Travis Konecny, among others.
One year following his draft selection, Gurianov left the KHL and came over to North America to officially join the Dallas Stars organization. He would go on to spend parts of seven seasons with the Stars organization, helping them reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, before he was traded to the Montreal Canadiens for Evgeni Dadonov in February 2023.
Last summer, Gurianov signed a one-year contract with the Nashville Predators and enjoyed some success with their AHL team in Milwaukee, recording over a point-per-game, before Barry Trotz dealt him to the Philadelphia Flyers.
In 298 career NHL games with Dallas, Montreal, Nashville and Philadelphia, the Tolyatti, Russia native had 113 points (52 goals, 61 assists), 60 penalty minutes and was a minus-two.
Given that Gurianov will only be 29 by the time his contract CSKA Moscow comes to an end, it wouldn't be shocking if he ends up returning to the National Hockey League, provided he has a couple of big seasons offensively in the KHL.
Source: Sport-Express
Guryanov will sign a two-year contract with CSKA
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Will Denis Gurianov return to North America in the future? | ||
| Yes | 45 | 30.2 % |
| No | 104 | 69.8 % |
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