Defenseman and Calder Cup champion Max Lajoie has signed with the KHL's Avangard Omsk, the team announced Tuesday. Lajoie recorded four goals and 34 assists in 70 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds last season, leading the team in assists NHL Agrees To New CBA And CHL Rules The 27-year-old scored the Calder Cup winning goal and led the playoffs in goals by defensemen with the Chicago Wolves in 2022. He represented the Central Division at the 2023 AHL All-Star Game while serving as captain of the Wolves. Originally a fifth round selection of the Ottawa Senators in 2016, Lajoie has 34 goals and 194 points in 378 career AHL games with the Firebirds, Belleville Senators, Chicago Wolves, and Toronto Marlies. In 77 NHL games with the Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, and Toronto Maple Leafs he had seven goals and 16 points. A talented puck mover and smooth skater, Lajoie was one of the top remaining unsigned free agent defensemen and joins a growing wave of AHLers who have signed in the KHL this summer. Check out our AHL Free Agency signing tracker here [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl/latest-news/ahl-free-agency-2025-tracker-and-analysis]. Photo Credit: © Taya Gray/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
