Waiting for Buchelnikov

I try not to put too much stock in preseason performances, but Red Wings prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov scored quite the goal for CSKA Moscow in a preseason game yesterday, per Red Wings Prospects on Twitter…

And yes, Sergei Fedorov’s still involved with CSKA, so he’s been eying the 21-year-old, who’s still listed at 5’10” and 170 pounds…

But Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes that Buchelnikov’s tantalizing talents are stuck in Moscow for at least one more European season:

Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman was expressing optimism earlier this summer that they will be able to get Buchelnikov, 21, playing in North America for the 2025-26 season, if not later this season when his European season comes to an end.

“He has another year on his (KHL) contract,” Yzerman said. “He was playing (for Vityaz). Their team folded. His contract was sold to CSKA, the Red Army team in Moscow. He’s under contract with them for another season. As far as we know, he’s playing for CSKA this year. And our hope would be that he comes over next year, but we can’t guarantee that.

“It’ll really be his decision on what he wants to do. But he’s a very nice young man, and a very good, talented young player, and we’re hopeful that we can get him over here at some point, sooner than later.”

The Red Wings want Buchelnikov to come over quite badly given that he’s still a skinny little dude who needs to put on weight and muscle to compete in North American hockey, but we’ve seen Instagram teases of Buchelnikov coming over to North America last summer and this summer, so there’s hope that he does want to come over once his contract with CSKA ends.

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, and have worked with MLive and Kukla's Korner. Thank you for reading!