While there was talk that Andrei Kostitsyn was looking for an opportunity to return to the NHL, it appears that the hunt is over.
Kostitsyn has signed a two-year deal with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL, according to Igor Eronko of Sport Express.
Andrei Kostitsyn signed a 2-year deal with #Torpedo of the #KHL
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) July 13, 2015
Not only is Andrei staying put, but so is his brother Sergei Kostitsyn, who has also signed a deal with Torpedo, reuniting the brothers.
Sergei Kostitsyn also stays in the #KHL, signed deal with #Torpedo, reunites with brother Andrei
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) July 13, 2015
Andrei Kostitsyn, who is 30, has been playing in the KHL for the last three seasons following seven seasons in the NHL, primarily with the Montreal Canadiens. His NHL career saw its end (for the time being at least) in the infamous incident where he and fellow Russian star Alexander Radulov missed curfew for the Nashville Predators during the playoffs.
Andrei is a veteran of 398 NHL games, scoring 103 goals and 119 assists in that time. He scored 13 goals and 22 assists last season in the KHL through 50 games split between Sochi HC and Chelyabinsk Traktor.
Sergei Kostitsyn, 28, also played for the Canadiens and Predators, a veteran of 353 NHL games, scoring 67 goals and 107 assists over that time. He scored seven goals and 20 assists last season in the KHL over 49 games with Kazan Ak-Bars.
UPDATE:
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston is reporting that there’s a player option in the second year of the contract, allowing Kostitsyn to look at a move to the NHL again next summer.
Andrei Kostitsyn signed a two-year deal with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, but Year 2 is a player option. He'll look at NHL again next summer.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 13, 2015