Rumors are floating around that a depth forward from the Colorado Avalanche will be returning to Russia. After only one season in the NHL, Zakhar Bardakov is said that he will be returning to SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL. Ultimately, Bardakov’s tenure with the Avalanche saw him record just a single goal and nine assists in 60 appearances.. He played an additional game with the Colorado Eagles and scored a goal in his only game.

Not much of a shock

This may not really come as much of a shock to most Avalanche fans. Bardakov saw only an average of 7:12 of ice time in every game. They rarely used him above the third line and only deployed him in games that needed heavy checking. The Russian voiced his concerns about ice time in an interview early in the season. He mentioned he had gone to his agent to ask for more time and felt that it was hurting his development. In the KHL, he was averaging over 15 minutes per game, and that time was cut in half in the NHL.

Contract status

Another factor influencing Bardakov’s potential move to Russia might be his contract’s current standing. His contract will expire on July 1st, and he will become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. The issue is that he will not have much bargaining power on his end. Another key point is that Colorado used him during penalty kills, though he wasn’t contributing offensively elsewhere.

Although Bardakov brought great forechecking pressure, this could be a good thing for the Avalanche. With five other players set for RFA status with arbitration rights, it will be one less thing they have to worry about over the summer. Above all, it might clear up what could have been anywhere from $900k to $1.5 million in the salary cap.