May 27: Zavgorodniy has cleared waivers and will have his contract terminated.
May 26: The Calgary Flames have placed Dmitri Zavgorodniy on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The young forward had one year left on his entry-level contract.
Zavgorodniy, 21, was a seventh-round pick of the Flames in 2018 after coming over to play in the QMJHL and was something of a surprise signing when he inked his entry-level deal in 2019. The undersized forward ended up playing in just 41 games for the Stockton Heat, scoring one goal and five points. He also played in a handful of KHL games in each of the last two seasons, suggesting that a termination like this might be on the horizon at some point.
Now, he’ll be able to go to the KHL full-time, though the Flames will no longer hold his exclusive rights. Should he clear waivers, he will be an unrestricted free agent, meaning if his development overseas improves at all, he’d be able to find a new opportunity somewhere else down the line.
Still, an NHL career seems extremely unlikely at this point, given how poorly his time in the AHL has gone. For Calgary, clearing the contract off the books is likely worth more than any chance he turns things around.