- Former Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators goaltender Martin Gerber has signed with Atlant Mytischi of the KHL, the team has reported.
Gerber supposedly spurned an offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins at being their backup goalie this season, hours before the Penguins signed Brent Johnson. Gerber said that he wanted to play in the KHL to prove that he "still had it" as a starting goaltender. However, he did not rule out an NHL return at some point.
Gerber had an overall 10-14-1 with a 3.01 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 24 games played last season with Ottawa and Toronto.
- Former New York Rangers and Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Dmitri Kalinin has agreed to a two-year contract with Salavat Yulayev Ufa of the KHL
Kalinin was traded at the trade deadline last season from the Rangers to the Coyotes in the deal that brought defenseman Derek Morris to the Big Apple.
Kalinin played in 73 games last season with New York and Phoenix, and tallied two goals and five assists.
Figured old Kalinin would do that. I was expecting him to be a solid defensive Defenseman for the Rangers last year and he was just short of Redden, I mean awful. He was simply a throw-in in the trade for Morris to make the $ work.
Eventually, all these players will realize that the NHL is the place to be.
I think the reason these guys left is that there wasn't exactly a line forming for their services.