Russian prospect Igor Chernyshov breaks KHL contract to make the leap to North America

Does the name Igor Chernyshov ring a bell?

We’re talking about a forward who played with Moscow Dynamo in the KHL last season, and who was selected 33rd overall by the San Jose Sharks in the last NHL draft.

Why am I talking about him today? Because Chernyshov did what Matvei Michkov did: he broke his KHL contract to make the leap to North America for the 2024-2025 season.

Chernyshov felt it was best for him to move directly to North America for the sake of his development.

Whether in the NHL or the AHL, he’ll have the opportunity to develop his game on the smaller rinks… And that’s an important aspect for a player coming from Europe.

That said, given that he has broken his contract in Russia, the Sharks could give him the chance to play directly in the National Hockey League.

That’s another consideration.

Igor Chernyshov (2024 round 2, #33 overall by @SanJoseSharks) just terminated his contract with Dynamo and is going to the NHL.

– Sergey Demidov (@smdemidov) July 31, 2024

If Chernyshov doesn’t make the club in San Jose after training camp, he’ll go play for the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL according to San Jose Hockey Now.

On the other hand, when you look at the Sharks’ attacking picture, you realize that there aren’t many players with a guaranteed spot in the lineup… And that’s what could help Igor Chernyshov get a job fast :

Obviously, the links are easy to make with Ivan Demidov’s situation.

The latter – as we know – will be playing in Russia next season… But Demidov’s contract with SKA expires at the end of next season.

We’ll have to wait to see him arrive in Montreal, but it could still happen quickly. At least Demidov isn’t tied to the SKA for the next two, three or even four years…

Overtime

– We need to put him in a situation where he’ll be able to progress.

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– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) August 2, 2024