Montreal Canadiens Sign Russian Prospect To Entry-Level Contract

The contract was officially signed in the afternoon, but there were rumblings all Friday morning that the deal would end up happening. Dylan Griffing of Elite Prospects was the one who had the news before everyone and announced on Twitter/X that Konyushkov and the Canadiens should be signing the 23-year-old defenseman’s entry-level contract soon.

Griffing also reported that the Montreal Canadiens will be loaning Konyushkov to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, where he could fulfill the final year of his KHL contract before coming over to North America for the 2027-28 season.

RG reporter Marco D’Amico also added that since the defenseman is 23 years old, the first year of his entry-level contract will be burned while he finishes his obligation to Torpedo this upcoming season. Therefore, the Montreal Canadiens will really only have him on his ELC for one year before they will need to re-sign him.

The Montreal Canadiens originally drafted Konyushkov as a 20-year-old in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL entry draft, after having a very solid rookie season in the KHL. During the 2022-23 season, he scored 2 goals and 25 points with a +1 rating in 68 games for Torpedo, which led to the Canadiens taking a chance on the double overager in the 2023 Draft.

Konyushkov has shown great leadership in his time with Torpedo, as at just 20 years old, he got to captain his KHL team during the 2023-24 season. On top of being named the captain of his team, the Canadiens prospect took a slight step offensively, recording six goals and 28 points in 65 games. 

The following season, Konyushkov gave up his captaincy to former NHL defenseman Slava Voynov, who joined Torpedo for the 2024-25 season; he wasn’t even given an “A” on his jersey that year. Konyushkov had less responsibility, which ended up affecting his growth offensively. He recorded his worst KHL season to date in 2024-25 with just three goals and 17 points in 67 games. Nonetheless, he continued to show that he had solid defensive play, which kept them on the radar of many Canadiens fans.

However, it was only during the summer of 2025 that Canadiens fans and media around the team got to see him in action in Montreal when he attended last summer’s development camp. Konyushkov didn’t stand out during camp, but given that it was his first time playing in North America, it was understandable that there were some growing pains in the few days he spent at Canadiens Development Camp. With more experience on North American ice, he will hopefully catch up to the level of play that he has displayed in the KHL over the years.

Following that camp, Konyushkov went on to have career highs across the board offensively with seven goals, 31 assists, and 38 points in 67 games while also being named an assistant captain for the 2025-26 campaign. It seems that when he is given a leadership role, the young defenseman’s game actually thrives more in the KHL.

Konyushkov can be described as a defenseman who can play well in all areas on the ice, allowing him to thrive in different roles. With that being said, Konyushkov has the tools to be an NHL defenseman; he will just need to show that he can be the same defenseman that he has been in the KHL when he comes to North America.

It will likely take a few years before we know if Konyushkov can indeed play in the NHL, but with his body of work in the KHL and more development as he continues gaining more experience, there is a chance that he could carve out a role on the Canadiens blueline.The fact that he is already a seasoned pro who continues to improve may help him make the NHL in the long run.