The St. Louis Blues have signed Russian forward Klim Kostin to a three-year, entry-level contract.
We wrote about Kostin yesterday. The 18-year-old was the 31st overall pick in the 2017 draft, and he may have been a steal considering he was the top-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting.
Kostin was only able to sign with the Blues after his financially troubled KHL club, Dynamo Moscow, annulled his contract (and 41 others) and made him an unrestricted free agent.
Kostin is not considered NHL-ready, but the AHL is an option for next season.
“If he’s ready for the American Hockey League, that would be great,” said Blues GM Doug Armstrong, per the Post-Dispatch. “If not, we’ll have to find a different option for him.”
St. Louis received the 31st pick in the Ryan Reaves trade with Pittsburgh.