Vancouver Canucks move to terminate centerman's contract after just 12 games
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Ilya Safonov left AHL Abbotsford for the KHL and is on unconditional waivers so the Vancouver Canucks can terminate his contract.
Ilya Safonov's time in the Canucks organization is ending before it really started.
The forward, who walked away from AHL Abbotsford to return to the KHL, is on unconditional waivers so his contract can be terminated.
It is a quiet exit for a player Vancouver once hoped could grow into a depth centre option.
A Short Stay in Abbotsford
Safonov's agent, Dan Milstein, confirmed that his client left the Abbotsford Canucks and is going home to Russia.
The 6-foot-4 centre never got a real NHL look.
He missed Vancouver's opening roster out of training camp, was sent down, and managed four assists and no goals in 12 AHL games.
The Canucks acquired his rights from the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations on June 28, 2025.
Chicago had drafted him in the sixth round in 2021.
He stayed in Russia and put up 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in 68 games for Ak Bars Kazan in 2025-26, then signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $950,000 at the NHL level.
He finishes without an NHL game on his résumé.
What It Means for Vancouver
The cost to the organization is small.
Vancouver gave up only future considerations to get him, and the contract was a single season, so no long-term cap or roster commitment goes away.
The practical effect lands in Abbotsford, where a big-bodied centre leaves a farm team that has started well, with eight wins and a shootout loss in its first 12 games.
On the same day, Vancouver claimed defenceman Cameron Crotty off waivers from the Minnesota Wild, so the depth chart keeps shifting even as one name comes off it.
Where Safonov lands in the KHL has not been confirmed.
He spent last season with Ak Bars Kazan, but no reports tie him to a specific club as of yet.
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