Kazakhtan-based KHL club Barys Astana announced the release of three NHL players on its roster on Friday.
"Barys has announced the termination of contracts with defensemen Nathan Beaulieu and Will Butcher, as well as forward Michael McLeod," the club announced on its website. "The contracts were terminated at the club's initiative, with compensation paid to the players."
The decision does not seem to be performance-based. McLeod, the only forward of the trio, is the team's leading scorer with six points in 16 games. However, Barys has started the season abysmally, with only three victories out of its first 16 games, so the move might be finance-related. The three are likely the team's highest-paid players.
All three signed with the team this off-season. The most controversial signing of the three was McLeod, who currently faces criminal charges in Canada, stemming from a 2018 incident involving several members of Canada's World Junior Championship team.
The announcement from Astana comes on the heels of Slovak player Michal Krištof leaving KHL team HC Sochi while apparently having a valid contract and signing a new contract with the SCL Tigers in Switzerland.
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