NHL Rumors: Russian KHL Star to Montreal Canadiens

Former teammate of Artemi Panarin, Vadim Shipachyov has reportedly terminated his KHL contract with sights set on playing overseas and Marc Bergevin is among a few GMs interested.

Elliote Friedman reported earlier this month that Marc Bergevin of the Canadiens is one of a few GMs interested in KHL All-Star Vadim Shipachyov. Shipachyov is the team captain of KHL's SKA St. Petersburg and former linemate of Chicago Blackhawks star Artemi Panarin.

Vadim is a six-foot, 187 pound, 29 year old trained center who has amazing vision of the game. He is a great skater and controls the half wall beautifully on the powerplay. Although Shipachyov possesses a hard accurate wrist shot, he is more known to be a playmaker and is creative in the offensive zone, making it difficult for opposing players to defend. He should help out any team looking for an offensive punch next season.

If you've been paying attention to the World Hockey Championships this month, you may have noticed Shipachyov is at the top of the tournament in scoring with 18 pts in 10 games while helping his country take home bronze over the United States, and over the last two seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), he managed to pile up 114 points in just 103 regular season games and racked up a total of 37 pts in 37 games in the playoffs.

Its obvious why Shipachyov would be of interest to the offensively challenged Canadiens, but there are a few roadblocks:

1. Is There Room?

The Canadiens currently have Tomas Plekanec, Alex Galchenyuk, Lars Eller and Torrey Mitchell locked up at center just to name a few, while roster moves may happen this summer for the Habs, it's not an ideal situation for Shipachyov to be in.

2. Other Teams Are Interested

The Canadiens have lost out on a few good players over the years, such as Justin Williams and Tyler Johnson. It is hard to convince players to want to play in Montreal. The taxes are higher, and pressure of playing in Montreal is huge. The Canadiens were close to landing Panarin last summer as well before he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.

3. Canadiens' System

The Canadiens last few projects - Sekac, Semin, Kassian - didn't pan out. The dump and chase defensive system Canadiens coach Michel Therrien has in place can make it difficult for offensively minded players to earn ice time in Montreal and succeed.

The Habs have a few Russian born players to make the transition for Shipachyov easier and landing a top six forward for cheap would improve the Canadiens for next season.