The CH officially announces the signing of Bogdan Konyushkov

This morning, we learned that Bogdan Konyushkov was likely about to sign his entry-level contract with the Canadiens. His team in Russia terminated his contract, which suggested he was set to sign a deal with the Habs.

Konyushkov, for those who aren't familiar with him, is a 23-year-old right-handed defenseman who was drafted by the Habs in 2023.

And now the Canadiens have just confirmed the news: Konyushkov has signed his entry-level contract with the club.

It's a two-year deal (the only possible term given the defenseman's age) that will expire after the 2027–28 season.

But in reality, the Habs have already confirmed that the defenseman will play in Russia during the 2026–27 season. This merely opens the door for him to make the jump to North America at the end of that season (and in 2027–28, of course).

The Canadiens have agreed to the terms of a two-season entry-level contract (2026–2027 through 2027–2028) with defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov.

The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a two-year, entry-level contract (2026-27 to 2027-28) with defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/SkWQN2wp2X

— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) July 10, 2026

Last season, Konyushkov finished 12th in scoring among KHL defensemen with 38 points. We're talking about a player who, despite his young age, has been logging significant ice time in Russia for several years now.

Last season was already his fourth in the KHL, which is worth noting.

It's worth noting that, due to his age, Konyushkov will burn through the first year of his contract even if he spends the 2026–27 season in Russia. That said, if the Canadiens had signed him next year, they wouldn't have been able to sign him for more than one year.

Basically, by signing him now, the team is simply giving itself the option to bring him to the NHL or the AHL at the end of the 2026–27 season—something that wouldn't have been possible if they had waited until next summer to sign him.

So that's one matter settled in town, as Konyushkov is now under contract with the club. We'll see if he can establish himself in the Habs' future plans.

Contract Extension

Over the past year, Konyushkov has notably been a teammate of Gleb Pugachyov, whom the Canadiens just drafted in the first round.

So there's already a connection between the two players… who could also be teammates in Montreal in a few years.