Canucks: Nikita Tryamkin signs one-year deal in KHL

The Vancouver Canucks towering defense prospect, Nikita Tryamkin has signed a one-year extension with the Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL.

After what seems like an entire year of speculation, it turns out that the towering prospect who is known as Nikita Tryamkin will not be returning to the Vancouver Canucks locker room after all.

Fresh off the heels of Canucks’ GM Jim Benning signing left-shot defender Jack Rathbone from Harvard, TSN reported that Tryamkin opted out of the waiting game and put pen to paper on a new contract to stay overseas.

The 6’7 man was backed by his agent Todd Diamond in regards to a return to play for the Canucks of the NHL, but a few different factors that have come into play over the last little bit more than likely changed his final decision.

The result of a flat-cap situation moving forward never made it any easier for the Canucks as they told Tryamkin they wanted to wait on their free agents. Understandable considering the team only has a touch over $18 million dollars in the upcoming offseason to sign three key UFA’s and a handful of well developed RFA’s.

Tack on the fact that Benning just added the 21-year-old Rathbone to the mix, and suddenly the idea of Tryamkin waiting around for a contract seems unlikely. The truth of the matter is that it was. Tryamkin will play in Russa for another year ultimately ending the Tryamkin debate for good.

The Big and friendly Tryamkin will play in the KHL next year but he remains the property of the Vancouver Canucks beyond that. That means that once his new deal in the KHL expires in 2021, that maybe, just maybe, the Canucks take another look at bringing him back into the fold.

The timing this year just wasn’t there for a few different reasons, but Tryamkin signing for just a single season overseas should be considered a good sign for Vancouver. Benning needs to get all his ducks in a row on defense this year and focus on Tryamkin when the time is right.