Reid Boucher (Vancouver Canucks/Utica Comets) signs with Avangard Omsk.
Ben Kuzma, The Province (Vancouver):
"After finishing second in AHL scoring with the Utica Comets this season, and not recalled by the parent Vancouver Canucks, the restricted free agent with arbitration rights could see the writing on the wall. The Canucks are loaded at left wing and with Boucher being again mired in the minors, his agent Gerry Johansson reached out two weeks ago with a career option. He sold his client on a KHL adventure with the well-financed Avangard Omsk. Omsk is located in southwest Siberia and has a population of 1.1 million. The city is renovating its arena and the club will play out of Moscow next season.
With Boucher granted permission from the Canucks on Thursday to pursue a deal, details of a contract were being finalized Friday. The Canucks retain Boucher’s negotiation rights, but becoming an unrestricted free agent after next season is going to afford the winger with options at the KHL and NHL levels.
“When my agent first brought it up, we were kind of like: ‘No way,’” said the 26-year-old Boucher from his home in Lansing, Mich. “It just seemed so foreign. I never pictured myself going over there and playing. I have no idea how everything plays out over there. But as you start to think about it and things started to settle in, it sounded better and better. It’s the place I’m at in my career, to go over and a chance to make some money and to experience the world a bit would be a good experience for everyone in my family.”
(...)
“Guys like Reid are in pretty high demand by European clubs, guys who have performed like him and been in the minors all year,” added Johansson. “We were getting calls from Switzerland and the KHL will leave Reid with leverage if an NHL team wants to bring him back and assuming things get back to normal. Omsk is first class and the guys have a good setup over there and are treated well. It’s not like the old days, like 15 years ago when going to Russia was a real adventure."
Link
