Bound for Florida
Russian defenseman signs one-year deal
Russian defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich signs one-year deal with Panthers.
For 19 years, Bogdan Kiselevich thought about playing in the NHL. He played the video game NHL 99 on his computer. He watched documentaries about the Detroit Red Wings winning the Stanley Cup with a Russian core.
And after nine season’s in Russia’s KHL, Kiselevich is coming to the NHL. He signed a one-year, $925,000 one-way contract with the Florida Panthers on Friday, helping shore up a defensive corps that general manager Dale Tallon placed as a priority entering the offseason.
“I feel so excited,” Kiselevich said on a conference call Friday morning. “I try to keep all of my emotions inside of me, but they come out. It’s a very good day for me. It’s a very big deal for me. I am so excited to be a part of the team in Florida.”
Kiselevich, 28, spent almost a decade in the KHL and won an Olympic gold medal in Korea earlier this year. The left-handed shot profiles as a stay-at-home defenseman and should contribute to Florida’s back end.
In 393 KHL games, Kiselevich scored only 23 goals and racked up 100 assists. He spent the last four years with CSKA Moscow before becoming a free agent.
“Bogdan is a solid, shutdown defenseman who adds depth to our blue line and possesses a strong work ethic,” Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said in a statement. “He’s proven himself to be a reliable defensive presence on the international stage and in the KHL and has the ability to be a steadying influence on the back end for our young defensemen.”
Kiselevich and agent Dan Milstein said he had suitors both in the KHL and other NHL teams before he chose to sign with the Panthers. Kiselevich said his first contact with Tallon made it clear he wanted to be in Sunrise.
“To be honest, after the first talk with Dale, I called to my agent and said, ‘This
team is No. 1 on my list,’” Kiselevich said.
Kiselevich becomes the latest Russian to join the Panthers in the past two seasons. The team signed forward Evgenii Dadonov to a three-year, $12-million contract last summer, which turned into one of the best free-agent signings of the offseason when Dadonov piled up 28 goals and 37 assists in 2017-18.
Forward Maxim Mamin also debuted for the Panthers
last season after he was picked in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. He had three goals in 26 games. Both Dadonov and Mamin played with Kiselevich at the World Championship in May.
“I know those two guys a lot and I think it’s good for me, it’s good for my family that they can talk,” Kiselevich said. “But for professional, like hockey, it’s not a point that you choose a team if they are Russian or no.”
Kiselevich fills a need for a defensive defenseman on a team that already employs offensive-minded players
like Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad and Mike Matheson. He also fills the need for a left-handed defenseman. Yandle and Matheson were the only regular left-handed defensemen on the Panthers, forcing right-handed MacKenzie Weegar to play the other side.
“Right now is the best chance for me to come because if I stay for a few years in Russia,” Kiselevich said, “I can become a man who just sits at home and don’t want anything new, you know?
“I know that I am ready. I am full of power to make it.”
Kiselevich’s addition could draw concern from players like Ian McCoshen and Alexander Petrovic. McCoshen, 22, is still on his entry-level deal and is waivers exempt. But Petrovic, 26, is a restricted free agent that was scratched at times last season and largely held off the penalty kill units.
The signing is a low-risk one for the Panthers. If Kiselevich pans out, they can try to sign him to an extension. (Much like the Maple Leafs did in signing Nikita Zaitsev to a one-year contract initially before a seven-year, $31.5-million deal.) If not,
they can move on.
Agent Keith McKittrick said Kiselevich “is a guy who’s done his homework on the league.”
“He knows exactly the talent level around the league, comfortable in his game to play big minutes, play in all situations,” McKittrick said. “He’s comfortable with how to defend in the NHL. He’s aware of what it’s going to take to defend in the NHL and to play big minutes for a team.”