Chicago Blackhawks prospect opts out of joining organization, signs in Russia
Photo credit: Photo by ak-bars.ru
According to recent reports, the Chicago Blackhawks and Kyle Davidson won't be seeing KHL forward Ilya Safonov jump to the NHL, as he's signed on another year with the AK Bars Kazan.
Ilya Safonov was expected to make the jump to the NHL after the 2024-2025 KHL season.
However, news breaks quickly, along with the whirlwind of information we process daily. Another starting development in the career of Blackhawks prospect Ilya Safonov has us puzzled.
Instead of turning professional in the NHL, the 172nd overall pick (6th-round) in the 2021 draft has opted to play another year in Russia.
Per Hockey News Hub on X:
We don't know if it's more planning by Kyle Davidson in order to see him develop another year as a center in the KHL, playing with the Ak Bars Kazan, or what the reasoning is.
But the Blackhawks could use someone like Safonov in the pipeline. He's a towering center, at 6, and 224 pounds.
Centers at this size aren't too common, and given how adept they are at breaking through defenders and creating space on the ice. We have to lament the fact that we might not see him in a Blackhawks uniform anytime soon.
Especially when the youth movement is at its peak.
In 51 games this season, he's scored a total of 22 points ( 7 goals, 15 assists) and played 13 games with the Ak Bars Kazan in the Gagarin Cup playoffs.
It seems this quote regarding Safonov may be a self-fulfilling prophecy:
But if the upward trajectory continues, the Blackhawks will need to perform a magic trick of their own to get Safonov over to Chicago.
| POLL | ||
MAI 31 | 246 ANSWERS Chicago Blackhawks prospect opts out of joining organization, signs in Russia Do you think center Ilya Safonov of the KHL's Ak Bars Kazan will become a Chicago Blackhawk in 2026-2027? | ||
| Yes | 138 | 56.1 % |
| No | 108 | 43.9 % |
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