- Alexander Alexeyev is reportedly closing in on a two-year deal with the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev
- His agent confirmed talks with multiple KHL clubs, per Russia’s TASS
- Read below for why the former Capitals first-rounder is leaving North America
Alexander Alexeyev is heading home.
The defenseman is closing in on a return to the KHL, and reports out of Russia have him landing with Salavat Yulaev on a two-year deal. His agent, Sergey Isakov, told TASS he has spoken with several KHL clubs about the 26-year-old for next season, and Salavat keeps coming up.
That tracks. Alexeyev spent the 2020-21 season on loan with Salavat Yulaev, suiting up in 55 games for the Ufa club before heading back across the ocean. Going back to a team he already knows is an easy sell.
His NHL run never took off the way Washington hoped. The Capitals drafted him 31st overall in 2018, but he only got into 80 games across parts of four seasons, putting up a goal and seven assists. Washington non-tendered him last summer.
Alexeyev signed a one-year, $775K deal with Pittsburgh last offseason, hoping to crack the roster in camp. Instead he cleared waivers and spent almost the entire year with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
He earned one brief recall in March and never played a regular-season game for the Penguins. The minor-league numbers were fine, a dozen points in 38 games plus five more in 11 playoff contests, but none of it was enough to land another NHL look.
His lone NHL goal came against Buffalo on Nov. 22, 2023. Here’s the full set of Alexeyev’s Capitals highlights:
The reported terms sit around 50 million rubles per season, or roughly $679K. For a player buried in the minors with no clear path to NHL minutes, a guaranteed two-year deal back home is the safer bet.
Pittsburgh moves on without losing much. Alexeyev barely factored into the plans this season, and now he gets to spend his prime in a league that actually wants him on the ice.
