TSN: Darren Dreger on Tuesday on KHL forward Alexander Barabanov.
“He’s a 5-foot-10, 195-pound forward. He’s got decent numbers in the KHL. Over the course of this year, there’s been as many as 20 NHL clubs that have inquired. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Arizona Coyotes believe to be the frontrunners. I believe that Kyle Dubas will meet Barabanov’s representation, Dan Milstein, later this week. The interview process did start earlier today.”
Darren Dreger: The Toronto Maple Leafs and Arizona Coyotes have been trying to get Barabanov signed for almost two years.
Kristen Shilton of TSN: Alexander Barabanov’s agent Dan Milstein:
“He’s going through a process of interviewing teams, and there’s no timeline ,” Barabanov’s agent, Dan Milstein, told TSN on Wednesday. “But in another week or less depending , he is going to decide whether to stay in the KHL or come over to North America. There are more than a couple clubs with significant interest.”
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on Barabanov:
“He’s strong. He’s not tall (at 5-foot-10), but he’s a very strong winger,” Dubas said on Tuesday. “Tremendous playmaking ability, great skill level in tight. But one of the other things we like most about him is his ability to make plays under pressure and his ability to win pucks, protect pucks when people come after him and use his strength to be able to do that. So, he’s a playmaking winger who also has the ability to finishat the net and we’ll continue to pursue him as best we can.”
Maple Leafs Hot Stove: Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on Alexander Barabanov:
“Alex would be, for us, a fit because he is a winger that is a high-end playmaker and has ability but is also very strong and competitive. He has played in a great program in St. Petersburg. He is going to have to decide whether he wants to come to North America — if he wants to play in the NHL or remain there with a great team in St. Petersburg. If he comes here, we see him as someone that could step right in and contribute and make plays off the wing back to our guys in the middle or across the rink to our players that are high-end shooters. We like how competitive he is and how strong he is on the puck.”