Report: It’s all over between Shipachyov and Vegas

According to a report from Sportsnet analyst and NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Vegas Golden Knights forward Vadim Shipachyov has been granted permission from the team to seek a trade elsewhere.

The 30-year-old Russian sniper signed with the team as an unrestricted free-agent this summer after a decade of success playing in the KHL, but has managed to get into the lineup just three times in Vegas’ nine games to start the 2017-18 season. He’s been demoted twice due to the team’s glut of waiver-eligible players and, as a result, is looking for a way out.

Neither Shipachyov nor his agent Petr Svoboda have made any public comments since Friedman’s report surfaced, but  you can bet that they’re working feverishly in the background to strike a deal so that the player can get back on the ice.

Several sources have connected the New York Rangers to the talented Russian, simply because they’re a team with an obvious need for offensive depth at center. The Montreal Canadiens however, have already declined any trade discussions. So, where will the intriguing veteran end up?