Rumor: Two former NHL players looking to return to North America!

There was some very interesting information coming out of the Channel One Cup in Moscow recently and it surprisingly it sounds like there may be significant impact on the National Hockey League as a result of it.

In his most recent 31 Thoughts column Sportsnet's NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on two former NHL players who may  be making a return to the league as early as next season. Friedman mentioned two former NHL players by name specifically, former Buffalo Sabres 1st round pick Mikhail Grigorenko and former Tampa Bay Lightning 5th round draft select Nikita Nesterov.

Nikita Nesterov most recently played as a member of the Montreal Canadiens during the 2016 - 2017 National Hockey League regular season but following his move from the Lightning to the Habs instead opted to head back home to Russia and become a member of the KHL where he has now played for the past two seasons.During the 2017 - 2018 KHL campaign Nesterov appeared in 42 games for CSKA Moscow, recording 3 goals and 16 assists for a total of 19 points and a plus minus rating of +9 on the season. His positive play has continued in this most recent season in the KHL, again with CSKA Moscow, with 35 games played, 4 goals, 13 assists, 17 points and a plus minus rating of +15 on the year thus far.

Grigorenko on the other hand was of course viewed as a bit of a bust during his tenure with the Buffalo Sabres although he would eventually go on to earn additional playing time as a member of the Colorado Avalanche organization. Like Nesterov he has spent his past two seasons in the KHL, during the 2017 - 2018 season he appeared in 45 games and recorded 10 goals and 13 assists for a total of 23 points finishing with a plus minus of +15 on the season. His point production increased significantly this season however with 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points in just 35 games played this time around.

Friedman did not comment on which teams might be interested in either player, but if they are planning a return that's because there's interest.