In a post on Instagram, Puck Empire shared, via the KHL's Public Relations, that former Vancouver Canucks forward Brendan Leipsic has agreed to terms on a two year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.
Leipsic, 30, last played in the NHL back in 2020 but after misogynistic comments he made in a private group chat were made public, the Washington Capitals placed him on unconditional waivers and terminated his contract.
The Winnipeg native has spent the last four seasons in the KHL but last year, he decided to apply for Russian citizenship, which would allow him to no longer count as a foreign player on any roster and would make him eligible to play for the national team, albeit in exhibition games for now due to their IIHF ban. In January, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted Leipsic citizenship in the country.
Leipsic appeared in 31 games for the Vancouver Canucks between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons before being claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Kings. In those 31 games, he had 14 points (five goals, nine assists), 12 penalty minutes and was a minus-13.
Do you think Brendan Leipsic will ever return to North America? Let us know your thoughts in the poll below.
POLL | ||
Do you think Brendan Leipsic will ever return to North America? | ||
Yes | 79 | 6.2 % |
No | 1203 | 93.8 % |
List of polls |