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Hurricanes sign goaltender Amir Miftakhov to one-year contract

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Mike Gould | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 1:49 PM ET

The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with goaltender Amir Miftakhov, according to his agent, Dan Milstein.

Miftakhov, 25, posted a 13-11-3 record, four shutouts, and a .927 save percentage in 30 games with his hometown KHL club Ak Bars Kazan during the 2024-25 regular season. The 6’1″ netminder also appeared in two games with Kazan during the 2025 Gagarin Cup Playoffs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning originally selected Miftakhov in the sixth round (No. 186 overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. According to PuckPedia, Miftakhov’s new deal with the Hurricanes carries a $775,000 NHL cap hit and includes $240,000 in guaranteed money.

Congratulations to Amir Miftakhov on signing a 1-year NHL contract with the Carolina #Canes ! #WeAreGoldStar! pic.twitter.com/s0KNaIBv74
— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) July 1, 2025

After being drafted by the Lightning, Miftakhov spent another year in his native Russia before arriving in North America for the 2021-22 season. He appeared in 22 AHL games with the Syracuse Crunch that year, going 7-8-3 with one shutout and an .891 save percentage.

Miftakhov also spent five games with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears during the 2021-22 season but never got into a game with the Lightning, who allowed him to return to Kazan the following year. Now, he joins the Hurricanes as an unrestricted free agent and will presumably slot in as the team’s No. 3 goaltender behind Freddy Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov.

Through 82 career KHL games over parts of five seasons with Kazan, Miftakhov has put together a 38-29-4 record with 11 shutouts and a .922 save percentage.

The Hurricanes finished second in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division during the 2024-25 regular season, posting a record of 47-30-5 in 82 games — good for 99 points. They defeated the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals in the first two rounds of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs before being eliminated in five games by the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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