After reports indicated that he desired to return to the NHL after four years away in the KHL, Alexander Radulov has made his decision.
Alexander Radulov has signed with Montreal.
— Travis Yost (@travisyost) July 1, 2016
Report: Alexander Radulov Signs With Montreal
Initially asking for a reported 2-year, $7.5 million AAV to return to North America, the former Quebec Rampart agreed to a one-year, $5.75 deal with the and play for the Canadiens.
Radulov is entering his age-30 season as a noted star in Russia but very polarizing figure in North America. This past season for CSKA Moscow, the 6’1″, 200-pound forward scored 23 goals and 65 points in just 53 KHL games, the sixth time in the last seven seasons he’s put up 20+ goals and 60+ points. While his talents speak for themselves on the ice, his off-ice actions have been known to speak higher volumes.
one year, $5.75 million for Radulov in Montreal
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) July 1, 2016
Time in Nashville
Two years into his entry-level contract with the Predators in 2008, he bolted for the KHL will one year remaining on his deal signing a four-year pact with Ufa Salavat Yulayev. He’d enjoy three of those 20+ goal, 60+ point seasons including an 80-point season that remains the best of his career. Four years ago when the Predators were pushing for the playoffs, Radulov returned on the condition of that same ELC that had a year left to burn on it. Playing nine regular season games and eight playoff contests officially burned it out, and he showed that he could translate production to the NHL in that span (four goals, 13 points).
However, after being benched along with Andrei Kostitsyn in the Phoenix series for missing curfew, Radulov was dissatisfied with Nashville and returned home to Russia to play with CSKA Moscow that summer. He’s spent the past four seasons there putting up 78 goals and 238 points in 181 games.
Career
Drafted 15th overall in 2004 by the Predators, Radulov’s two full seasons with the team from 2006-2008 showed tremendous promise, as in just 145 games he scored 44 goals 95 points as a 20-21 year old. The Canadiens will be getting a hulking winger that has a great playmaking ability to go with his shot that will slot into the top six. It will be a gamble with his recent past, but with a newborn son and reported maturity that has come with parenthood, he could be in for the long haul and settled down from his past.
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