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Welcome back: Coyotes claim Tikhonov off waivers from ‘Hawks

Viktor Tikhonov, Braydon Coburn

Viktor Tikhonov, Braydon Coburn

AP

What’s old is new again in the desert.

On Sunday, the Arizona Coyotes claimed Viktor Tikhonov off waivers from Chicago (per Arizona Sports), bringing him back to the organization that selected him in the opening round of the 2008 Draft.

Tikhonov, 27, returned to the NHL this season after a four-year stint in the KHL. He signed a one-year, $1.04 million deal with the ‘Hawks but failed to make an impact, going scoreless in 11 games while sitting as a healthy scratch in 10 of the last 11 contests.

The move back to Arizona should be interesting.

Tikhonov, the 28th overall pick in ’08, spent most of his rookie campaign with the Coyotes, scoring eight goals and 16 points in 61 games. That was followed by a stint with AHL San Antonio, then his move to Russia.

Despite that move, it appeared Arizona always kept interest in Tikhonov-- last May, GM Don Maloney reportedly reached out to him about an NHL return.