Former St. Louis Blues forward Josh Leivo had a historic season in the KHL with Salavat Yulaev Ufa in 2024-25. In 62 games, he scored a KHL record 49 goals and recorded 80 points. He then followed that up by posting two goals and 15 points in 14 playoff games for the KHL squad.
Now, after his MVP season in the KHL, Leivo has found a new home. The former Blues winger has signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk and will officially be staying in the KHL because of it.
Leivo became a free agent last week after his contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa terminated. Now, instead of trying to make a potential NHL comeback, he will instead be joining Traktor Chelyabinsk. He should be a major part of their roster moving forward because of it.
Leivo spent his final season in the NHL with the Blues during the 2022-23 campaign. In 51 games with the Central Division club that campaign, he recorded four goals, 12 assists, 16 points, and 55 hits. He also played in two AHL games with the Springfield Thunderbirds that season, recording three goals and one assist.
Ex-Blues First-Rounder Among Interesting Free Agents Left
Now that we are in the middle of August, most of the players who hit the market as unrestricted free agents (UFAs) have been signed to new contracts. Although this is the case, there are still some interesting players who have not been signed yet. Among them is former <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues">St. Louis Blues</a> forward Klim Kostin.