Confirmed Signing with Link: [KHL] Alexander Barabanov signs two-year deal with AK Bars Kazan

[barriers]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1818907786329067975

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[weastern bias]

Always liked him, too bad he's leaving just in time for us to draft real centers for him to play with

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

I also always liked him. Good player, good person. Will miss him.

 

[ImKittr]

That’s a bit baffling to me. Did he want to go back to f***k Russia? I was perplexed that nobody signed him. He was a solid contributor, especially considering how incredibly weak the Sharks’ roster was.

 

[Mattb124]

I am surprised no team gave him an NHL contract. Good middle six player.

 

[Brodeur]

That’s a bit baffling to me. Did he want to go back to f***k Russia? I was perplexed that nobody signed him. He was a solid contributor, especially considering how incredibly weak the Sharks’ roster was.

Not many open NHL roster spots left at this point. I wish I could find the exact Dean Lombardi quote, but I recall he said something to the effect of being skeptical of certain players who put up points on bad teams since they wouldn't get the same usage elsewhere.

In 2022-23, Barabanov got 18:03/game with 2:46 PPTOI/game. That season, he got similar ice time to Andrei Svechnikov (18:03), Kevin Fiala (17:36), Filip Forsberg (17:28), Jesper Bratt (17:22). Reminds me a bit of certain MLB players who play on bad teams who pad their RBI numbers since they get prime spots in the lineup, but those numbers wouldn't translate elsewhere if they're batting further down the order. (insert joke about a defiant SF writer giving Kevin Pillar an MVP vote in 2019)

Can't picture many other teams giving him that sort of ice time; San Jose cut his ice time (15:52) this past season and his production cratered.

 

[Mattb124]

Not many open NHL roster spots left at this point. I wish I could find the exact Dean Lombardi quote, but I recall he said something to the effect of being skeptical of certain players who put up points on bad teams since they wouldn't get the same usage elsewhere.

In 2022-23, Barabanov got 18:03/game with 2:46 PPTOI/game. That season, he got similar ice time to Andrei Svechnikov (18:03), Kevin Fiala (17:36), Filip Forsberg (17:28), Jesper Bratt (17:22). Reminds me a bit of certain MLB players who play on bad teams who pad their RBI numbers since they get prime spots in the lineup, but those numbers wouldn't translate elsewhere if they're batting further down the order. (insert joke about a defiant SF writer giving Kevin Pillar an MVP vote in 2019)

Can't picture many other teams giving him that sort of ice time; San Jose cut his ice time (15:52) this past season and his production cratered.

You might want to look at who he played with and his over-all health instead of how many minutes he played to get a sense as to why his production declined last season.

 

[SEALBound]

Wild to me that he didn't get an NHL contract.

 

[Brodeur]

You might want to look at who he played with and his over-all health instead of how many minutes he played to get a sense as to why his production declined last season.

I can't say I went out of my way to watch a ton of San Jose last season, but my point remains the same. Most teams are set in their middle six wings and/or have internal options that they'd rather give an opportunity to. Otherwise he would have had NHL offers if that's your insinuation?

 

[Jared Dunn]

Have to assume he was only getting offers near league minimum and he's probably getting 2 million in a duffel bag in Russia so, why not I guess

 

[Mattb124]

I can't say I went out of my way to watch a ton of San Jose last season, but my point remains the same. Most teams are set in their middle six wings and/or have internal options that they'd rather give an opportunity to. Otherwise he would have had NHL offers if that's your insinuation?

Smart man not to watch San Jose last year. Barabanov is not a complete player (not physical/below average defensively - so not a “Grier type of player”), but he is a good complimentary middle six winger who presumably could have been had on the cheap. Good on zone entries and on the cycle, very creative and surprisingly effective offensive player. Just surprised he didn’t get an NHL contract from some team that was up against the cap and had a hole to fill.

Could also be that he could make that much more in the KHL than any offers he got from NHL teams?

 

[Hodge]

He is an awful player.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

He's a guy I wanted back in Toronto's bottom 6.

oh well