Flames loan Artyom Zagidulin to the KHL’s Metallurg Magnitigorsk.
By Ryan Pike
3 years agoAnother day, another bit of European-based news regarding the Calgary Flames. On Monday morning, the Kontinental Hockey League’s Metallurg Magnitigorsk posted a bit of news regarding a possible loan involving Flames goaltending prospect Artyom Zagidulin. The Flames made the loan official on Monday afternoon.
Here’s what the KHL club said, via Google Translate:
Today we are negotiating with Calgary, Artyom Zagidulin and his agent on the return of the goalkeeper to Metallurg’s team, and in fact there is already a preliminary agreement on this. We are waiting for an official positive decision from the NHL club. If everything works out, then Artyom will spend time in Magnitka before the start of the season overseas, will receive playing and training practice, and we will strengthen the goalkeeper’s line, given that Juho Olkinuora and Vasily Koshechkin are now on self-isolation. In addition, we are grateful to Artyom for reciprocal steps in the process of negotiations with his native club and more than moderate numbers in the contract.
Zagidulin, 25, is originally from Magnitigorsk, so playing for his hometown team makes a ton of sense given the logistical challenges facing the hockey world (and the world in general) right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He played basically all of his hockey grow up with Metallurg’s organization before signing with the Flames prior to last season, which he spent entirely in Stockton with the Heat.
Like many KHL teams, Metallurg has been hit hard by COVID-19 outbreaks and they’re presently missing goaltenders Juho Olkinuora and Vasily Koshechkin due to self-isolation requirements. The only goaltender they have currently listed on their roster is 20-year-old Gleb Nosov.
Metallurg needs all the help they can get, and this could provide Zagidulin with some activity to keep him active before the NHL and AHL camps get going… whenever that happens.
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