Russian winger Danis Zaripov won’t be crossing the pond after all. After having his two-year KHL suspension reduced to just six months earlier this week that made him eligible to sign as of Thursday, he has inked a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan, the KHL announced (Twitter link).
Zaripov did draw a bit of NHL interest but nothing came of it. Most recently, the Blues had offered him a PTO deal but he was looking for a guaranteed contract. Tampa Bay also had interest during the summer while Pittsburgh was known to at least be considering signing him though it’s not known if any offer was ever made.
Interestingly enough, Zaripov opted to not return to Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the franchise he spent the past four years with and where he really made his mark on the league, recording just shy of a point per game (227 points in 229 contests) during that stretch. It won’t be his first stint with Kazan though as he was previously with them from 2001 through 2013.
If Russia and KHL players are allowed to play in the upcoming Olympics (something that appears to be far from a certainty at this point), Zaripov is a candidate to make that team assuming the long layoff doesn’t prove to be difficult to come back from. If he makes it, it would be his second appearance in that tournament having also suited up in 2010.