Chicago Blackhawks goalie prospect Ivan Nalimov was released from his KHL team Admiral Vladivostok due to financial issues Thursday, the player’s agent confirmed to The Athletic’s Scott Powers. The news was first reported earlier in the day by Aivis Kalnins.
Nalimov isn’t expected to sign with the Blackhawks despite being a free agent. The 23-year-old will likely stay in the KHL, where he’s in the midst of a breakout season with a .942 save percentage in 17 games.
The Blackhawks don’t have much in terms of goaltender talent in their prospect pipeline, but they’re solid at the NHL right now with Corey Crawford and Anton Forsberg. The team also has Jeff Glass, Collin Delia, and Jean-Francois Berube under contract, plus 2016 third-round pick Wouter Peeters is playing in the USHL.
Nalimov will remain under Blackhawks control as long as he stays in the KHL due to the lack of a proper transfer agreement between the KHL and NHL. So there’s still a chance he could come over in a year or two even if he declines to consider signing a contract right now.