Richard Zednik is leaving the NHL and heading to Russia. The Panthers' UFA forward signed a two-year contract with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl today.
Zednik signed a two-year deal with the Panthers prior to the 2007-08 season that was worth $3.25M (1.5, 1.75). He played in 54 games before the skate-to-neck sidelined him for the season. He scored 15 goals and added 11 assists in those 54 games, but had just started to get hot at the time - even picking up a hat trick against Toronto five days before the injury.
This season, in 70 games, Zednik scored 17 goals. Two of those goals made the highlight reels, first against Carey Price on January 29th and then against the Islanders' Joey MacDonald on Feburary 5th. As a Panther, he will finish up with 32 goals, 27 assists and 59 points in 124 games.
In his NHL career, the 33-year-old Slovakian has played in 745 games with the Capitals, Canadiens, Islanders and Panthers, amassing 200 goals and 379 overall points. In the 1997-98 season - his first full NHL season - Zednik had 10 points in 17 playoff games with Washington, making it to the Stanley Cup Final before being swept out by Detroit.
I'm not sure Zednik was in the Panthers' plans for next season, but I am a little surprised that he left so quickly and chose to pass on NHL free agency.
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