It's been happening less and less as the years have gone by, seeing pool worthy NHL players head back to Europe, but there is one that got the call over the weekend and that was Russian defenseman Nikita Nesterov, signing a deal with CSKA Moscow.
Nesterov played last season between Montreal and Tampa Bay, even made an appearance in the hockey pool in one of the mid-season swaps, but couldn't quite find a new home, as the Canadiens did not qualify him to be a restricted free agent, leaving him to the open market.
There was also one fringe forward, who also made an appearance in the hockey pool last season, Mikhail Grigorenko, as he was also not qualified by his club, the Colorado Avalanche, leaving him to the open market as well. With no takers immediately at the start of free agency, he also took a deal with CSKA Moscow in the KHL, opting to go home and likely get paid.One would imagine that this isn't the last time we have seen either of these players in the NHL, as they are both still quite young and some time in the KHL could do them a lot of good in getting more ice-time and honing their skills.
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