Per Laurie Carr, who does a fantastic job of keeping track of the Rangers prospects, Rangers 2009 7th round pick Mikhail Pashnin will not be coming to North America this year.  In fact, he won’t be here next year either.  Pashnin has signed a two year contract extension with CSKA Moscow, ensuring that the defenseman will remain in Russia and with the KHL for at least two more seasons.

This news refutes the initial report a few weeks ago that Pashnin will be coming to North America.  However, this should not be a surprise, as Laurie stated as recently as Saturday that Pashnin was having second thoughts.

Pashnin will be 24 when his contract with CSKA expires.  Considering the defensive depth on the Rangers currently and in the system, it is understandable that Pashnin wanted to remain home and receive guaranteed playing time.  Also, the money provided to him in the KHL is likely to be overwhelmingly more than he would receive playing in the AHL.

It looks like Pashnin won’t be coming over unless he is guaranteed a spot on an NHL roster, which the Rangers cannot do right now.  Unless something drastic happens, it doesn’t look like the Rangers will ever be able to guarantee a prospect a roster spot, considering the extensive depth in the system.  Now we know why the #1 overall pick in the KHL draft can drop to the 7th round in the NHL draft. It’s not skill related, it’s transfer related.

Share: 

Mentioned in this article:

More About: