Sonny Milano's NHL career appears to be over

The Calgary Flames have officially cut forward Sonny Milano, releasing him from his professional tryout (PTO) contract. The team has also released veteran forward Cody Eakin from his PTO, as well.

Check it out:

Neither Milano nor Eakin failed to impress much during training camp or the preseason and will now seek employment elsewhere.

In the case of Milano, I have to say that this is pretty surprising. After all, he put up 14 goals and 34 points in 66 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season. He's just 26 years old and has proven that he can play up and down the lineup. To be perfectly frank... I'm wondering if there's something else wrong with Milano. He has produced most everywhere he's played, but he's bounced between the AHL and NHL his entire career. Often in situations like this, it's less a matter of skill and more a matter of personality or fit with a given team's culture. I'm not saying that that's the case for Milano... but I am left wondering what's really going on with him. 

It remains to be seen if another NHL team offers Milano a contract, but given that he didn't make much of an impact with the Flames, I would be surprised to see him suit up in the NHL this season. More than likely he'll be headed overseas to play with the KHL being the obvious destination. Given his style of play and his production at the NHL level, I could see Milano absolutely lighting it up in Russia. It tends to be less of a physical style of play over there with an emphasis on puck control and working as a five man unit. Of course, it'll take some adjusting given that he has played his entire life in North America, but I could see him putting up big numbers in the KHL and potentially re-igniting the interest of NHL teams. 

As for Eakin... this is surely the end of the road for him. He has bounced around a bit the past few seasons and can't seem to find consistent ice-time in any of his locales.