As reported by Pekka Jalonen via Twitter, Winnipeg Jets defenceman Bogdan Kiselevich has decided to return home to play in the KHL. Kiselevich spent nine seasons in the KHL before deciding to make the jump to North America to play in the NHL. Kiselevich signed a one year deal with the Florida Panthers on June 1st, 2018.
Winnipeg Jets Bogdan Kiselevich Returning to the KHL
#NHLJets D Bogdan Kiselevich is going back to Russia. Gagarin Cup champion CSKA Moscow is said to be interested in having him. #GoJetsGo
— Pekka Jalonen (@PekkaJalonen) April 26, 2019
In 32 games this season, Kiselevich registered eight assists. The Jets acquired Kiselevich at this year’s trade deadline in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Kiselevich never dressed for a single game with the Jets.
In 393 KHL games, Kiselevich scored 24 goals and added 127 assists for 151 points.
He was set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st.
What This Means for the Future
Jalonen mentions that CSKA Moscow is interested in signing Kiselevich. Kiselevich played four seasons with CSKA Moscow before deciding to play in the NHL.
As for the Jets, there was a strong chance they were going to let Kiselevich walk anyway. The Jets have roughly $25 million in cap space with only 12 players under contract on their active roster. With big-name free agents such as Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Tyler Myers, Kevin Hayes and Jacob Trouba, the Jets are going to need every bit of cap space they can get. They also have Ben Chiarot and Nathan Beaulieu who are in need of new contracts as well and would fill up the depth on the left side behind Josh Morrissey and Dmitry Kulikov.
It will most likely be a busy off-season for Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. He will need to be creative to find some cap space to keep his core together. The Jets have a young solid group and will certainly be a top contender in the quest for the Stanley Cup next season.
GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA – FEBRUARY 25, 2018: Gold medalists, Olympic Athletes from Russia Bogdan Kiselevich, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Nikolai Prokhorkin (L-R) pose at a victory ceremony for the men’s ice hockey event at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, at Gangneung Hockey Centre. The Olympic Athletes from Russia won 4-3 in overtime. TASS (Photo by TASSTASS via Getty Images)
