Russian enigma Burmistrov put on waivers

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This article was published 01/01/2017 (3490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The once-promising NHL career of forward Alex Burmistrov hit a major roadblock Sunday when the Winnipeg Jets placed him on waivers, according to multiple reports.

Burmistrov, a 25-year-old Russian, was the eighth overall choice of the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2010 NHL Draft and played for the Thrashers and then the Jets from 2010-11 to 2012-13. However, unhappy with his role under then-head coach Claude Noel, Burmistrov decided to go home and spent two seasons in the KHL with Ak-Bars Kazan.

He re-signed with the Jets in July of 2015, inking a two-year deal worth US$3.1 million. He will become a restricted free agent in July. If Burmistrov clears waivers, the Jets could assign him to the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Burmistrov has been a healthy scratch for 10 consecutive games and has suited up for 23 games in 2016-17, registering two assists and six penalty minutes. He was a healthy scratch for the club’s regular-season opener Oct. 13 and then played 20 of the next 21 games, missing one game in November due to an upper-body injury.

His opportunity for playing time worsened recently when forwards Joel Armia, Nic Petan and Shawn Matthias returned to active duty after lengthy stints on the injured reserve list.

Burmistrov dressed for 81 games in 2015-16, scoring seven goals and 21 points while filling a roles on the club’s third and fourth lines and the penalty-killing unit.

He has played 298 games during his NHL career, collecting 30 goals, 51 assists and 121 penalty minutes.

“You know, I feel great, working hard — watching games,” Burmistrov told the Free Press last month. “It’s tough, tough for me because I do not know why I’m not playing, you know. I never have a conversation with the coach, so he never tell me why I’m not playing.”