Bob Frid-Imagn Images

Former Jet & Canuck Signs New Deal in China, Likely Done in the NHL Forever

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 6:29 PM ET

Alexander Burmistrov played over 300 games in the NHL, but now the 33-year old has headed to China, likely signalling the end of his career in North America.

Way back in the 2010 NHL Draft, the then Atlanta Thrashers used a first-round pick on Alexander Burmistrov, a talented centre out of Russia who would go on to be a very talented player in the NHL.

In 348 games played with Atlanta, Winnipeg, Arizona and ultimately Vancouver, he would put together 37 goals and 101 points, but unfortunately he wasn't able to extend his career beyond that, returning to the KHL shortly after for the remainder of his career thus far.

Burmistrov joins the newly created Shanghai Dragons

Just days after making headlines for officially signing Gerard Gallant and rebranding as the Shanghai Dragons, Burmistrov has officially joined the Chinese based KHL squad, likely signalling the end of his career at the National Hockey League level.

At 33-years of age, Burmistrov has still been very solid in recent years, but after going scoreless in 8 games last season, there's question marks over his future in the KHL and whether he can still be productive in Europe's best league.

Now, he'll get a chance on a team that has largely struggled in recent years, and if there's any gas left in the tank, this provides him a major opportunity to play a big role for a team that may not be ultra competitive this season.

Ultimately though, Burmistrov is a talented player that fizzled out in the NHL rather quickly, and while he's shown flashes in the KHL thus far, this is likely to be the last stop in his professional career.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: