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From doghouse to desert: Pens trade Plotnikov to Coyotes

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during the NHL game at Gila River Arena on October 10, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona.

Christian Petersen

The Sergei Plotnikov era in Pittsburgh is over.

And it was short lived.

On Monday morning, ESPN reported that Plotnikov, in his first year with Pittsburgh after a lengthy pro career in Russia, had been sent to the Coyotes.

UPDATE: Per the Post-Gazette, the Pens are getting a 7th-round pick in ’17 and Mattias Plachta, a 24-year-old German League power forward the Coyotes signed as a free agent this past summer.

Plotnikov, 25, signed a one-year, entry-level deal with the Pens this summer after spending the last three seasons with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. His time in Pittsburgh didn’t go especially well, though -- he scored just two points (no goals) in 32 games, and has frequently been a healthy scratch as of late.

Last week, Pens GM Jim Rutherford admitted the team -- most notably head coach Mike Sullivan -- became irate after Plotnikov reportedly expressed an interest in returning to Russia.

“Sergei wants to play in the NHL as evidenced by the amount of money he paid to be excused from the last year of his KHL contact,” Plotnikov’s agent Mike Liut told the Post-Gazette.

“He understands that this will not happen in Pittsburgh and the Penguins have been attempting to trade Sergei, albeit, a difficult task when a player is a healthy scratch for two months. If a trade is not available, he will have no choice but to return to Russia.”

In a neat twist, Plotnikov could face his former team tonight, as the Coyotes are in Pittsburgh to take on the Pens at Consol.