- Boris Katchouk signed a one-year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk on Thursday
- Traktor bought his KHL rights from Sochi for monetary compensation
- Read below for the full story on the Katchouk signing and the Brandon Hagel trade that sent him to Chicago
Boris Katchouk is taking his career to Russia.
The 28-year-old winger, one of the two forwards Chicago got back in the Brandon Hagel trade, signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL on Thursday. It ends a nine-year run in North American pro hockey. Tony Androckitis of Inside AHL Hockey had the terms.
Getting him took a little work. Traktor picked up Katchouk’s KHL rights from Sochi for monetary compensation first, then signed him through May 31, 2027.
Most NHL fans know the name from one trade. Tampa Bay drafted Katchouk 44th overall in 2016, then shipped him to Chicago in March 2022 alongside Taylor Raddysh and first-round picks in 2023 and 2024. The Lightning got back Brandon Hagel and a pair of fourth-rounders.
Hagel became a top-line staple in Tampa and signed an eight-year, $52 million extension. Katchouk finished with 36 points in 179 NHL games, 117 of them in a Blackhawks sweater.
Chicago waived him twice. Ottawa claimed him in March 2024 and let him walk that summer without a qualifying offer.
He rebuilt his value in Wilkes-Barre. A one-year AHL deal with the Penguins turned into 21 goals and 49 points in 67 games in 2024-25, both career highs, and Tampa brought him back on a two-way contract the following July.
Last season turned into a tour. Katchouk played three NHL games with the Lightning, went to Minnesota in December for Michael Milne, then landed in Philadelphia in March for defenseman Roman Schmidt. Three AHL stops, 25 points in 46 games, and free agency in July.
Russia is less of a leap for him than it looks. Katchouk was born in Vancouver to Russian parents and holds dual citizenship. His mother, Yelena Tumanova, speed skated for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Winter Olympics. He also won World Junior gold with Canada in 2018.
Traktor is getting a 6-foot-2 winger who has scored everywhere below the NHL and is still only 28. Calen Addison made a similar jump this month, landing with the Shanghai Dragons after his own run of waiver claims and AHL stops.
