TASS

Former Top Tampa Bay Prospect Expected to Be Signed by Conference Rival

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 6:10 PM ET

Back in 2020, the Tampa Bay Lightning drafted goaltender Amir Miftakhov, and after failing to make it to the NHL, he could be signed by a major rival.

The Carolina Hurricanes have some solid goaltending at the NHL level, but with not much young depth coming through the organization, that's clearly something they're looking to change this off-season.

Now, they may have a specific target in mind, as reports have revealed the team are looking to land Amir Miftakhov, a former sixth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning from the 2020 NHL Draft.

The now 25-year old played just 22 games in the AHL for the Syracuse Crunch back in 2021/22, but since then the Russian star has headed home to the KHL, spending the past four years with Kazan Ak-Bars in the KHL.

According to reports however, he's drawing significant interest from the Carolina Hurricanes, with the two parties being deep in negotiation to bring him back to North America as a potential backup for Carolina moving forward.

The expectation from the players side is to get significant playing time at the NHL level, with the revelation that his contract may have an early termination clause if he ends up spending too much time in the AHL.

Standing at exactly six feet tall, Miftakhov posted a 2.18 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 30 games over the 2024/25 KHL regular season, and if he can bring that level to the NHL, he's still young enough to have a fantastic career ahead of him at the top level.

Things aren't quite done yet, so it may not be official for some time, but for a team that needs goaltending, Miftakhov may be the most intriguing value for money pickup the team can possibly find.

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

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