Yakupov signs 1-year deal in KHL

Nail Yakupov is heading home to Russia, as the 24-year-old winger signed a one-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, the league announced Tuesday.

Yakupov spent 2017-18 with the Colorado Avalanche, signing a one-year, $875,000 contract with the club after he was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the St. Louis Blues one season prior.

After recording nine goals and seven assists with the Avs, Yakupov was never given a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Yakupov was drafted first overall in 2012 by the Oilers, and after registering 31 points in 48 games in a promising debut season, he never lived up to expectations afterward, maxing out at 33 points in 2014-15. If the trip overseas signals the end of his NHL career, he departs as one of the most disappointing No. 1 picks in recent memory, with 136 points in 350 games.

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