The Montreal Canadiens agreed to terms with goaltender Vasili Demchenko, the team announced on Tuesday.
It is a one-year, entry-level contract for next season that would pay Demchenko $700,000 in the NHL if he makes the Montreal roster, and $70,000 if he’s sent to the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate.
Demchenko, 26, played 36 games with Chelyabinsk and Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League last season, registering just nine wins to go with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. He has been in the KHL since 2011, and finished his run there with an 81-86-25 record in 212 games, along with a 2.37 GAA and a .925 percentage.
The Canadiens have struggled to find a reliable backup to six-time All-Star Carey Price, and Demchenko will at least have a shot to take that slot.
This season, Montreal tried Charlie Lindgren, Keith Kinkaid and Cayden Primeau, who totaled just four wins in their 14 combined appearances. Price ended up playing in 58 games, going 27-25-6, with a 2.79 GAA and a .909 percentage.