Maxime Comtois signs with Dynamo Moscow

Canadian left winger Maxime Comtois, 25, has signed a one-year contract with Dynamo Moscow, the KHL club announced on Thursday.

A big scorer in junior with the Victoriaville Tigres, Comtois was a second-round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2017. He ultimately played 211 NHL regular-season games, all but one with the Ducks. Released in 2023, he went to training camp with the Vegas Golden Knights but played most of last season for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves before signing with the Carolina Hurricanes late in the season. He played one regular-season game and one playoff game with the Canes, recording one assist. In all, he recorded 38 goals, 49 assists and 193 penalty minutes in the NHL.

Internationally, Comtois represented Canada at one Hlinka Memorial, two IIHF U18 World Championships, two World Junior Championships and two senior men's World Championships. He has won a gold each at the World Juniors and the Worlds, and was captain of Canada's World Junior team in 2019.

“What can I say about Maxime Comtois?” Dynamo coach Alexei Kudashov began. “A skilled, fast, powerful forward who should definitely strengthen our top two lines. He is not afraid to work on every part of the ice. A great professional. I think that Dynamo and the entire league are getting a classy player who fans and young hockey players will watch. I have already managed to talk to him and outline important points in preparation. In Minsk, he will work with the team at training camp.”

“Maxim Comtois is another newcomer to our team,” said sports director Alexei Sopin. “Signing a player of this caliber is naturally aimed at strengthening our forward lines. Comtois is a star, but he comes to the KHL super-motivated for great achievements and victories. He is a great professional, who should be a good influence on our younger players.”

Sopin continued, “Looking ahead, I want to say that signing Max is not a replacement for Nikita Gusev. We are still waiting for his response and are ready for any scenario. We are glad to welcome the Canadian forward to our team, and we hope that he will help us achieve our goals.”

Gusev is a 32-year-old former NHLer who played last season for Dynamo Moscow and is currently an unrestricted free agent. While the team can’t count on him yet, they do have Anton Slepyshev, Jordan Weal, Eric O’Dell and potential NHL prospects Dmitri Rashevsky, Daniil Pylenkov, Yegor Rymashevsky and Igor Chernyshov under contract.