Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning confirmed Friday that he’s looking to sign prospect Nikita Tryamkin to his entry-level contract before the end of the season.
“There’s a player we drafted, Nikita Tryamkin, that we’re in negotiation with his team to bring him over as soon as we can,” Benning said.
The 2014 3rd round draft pick (66th overall) played his fourth season in the KHL for Yekaterinburg Automobilist this year, where the 21-year-old defender posted four goals and 15 points through 53 games.
Reports came through earlier in the week that a deal had been struck with the 6-foot-8 blue liner, but that has been denied at this point, and emphatically so with Benning saying that he’s actively trying to get Tryamkin to come over from the KHL.
Benning added on TSN Radio that he believes Tryamkin could be a top-four defender, though there will be “growing pains.”
His KHL contract is set to expire on Apr. 30.
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
