Maxim Afinogenov Heads to Russia
Reports indicate that forward Maxim Afinogenov will head back to Russia to join the Kontinental Hockey League’s (KHL) SKA St. Petersburg. The new contract is said to be a five-year deal.
Afinogenov will join Denis Grebeshkov and Evgeni Nabokov, both of whom decided to join the St. Petersburg club earlier in the off-season.
The dynamic Afinogenov entered the league with the Buffalo Sabres for the 1999-2000 season. He remained in Buffalo for nine years.
Afinogenov hit his stride with the Sabres during the 2005-06 season, tallying 22 goals and 51 assists for 73 points in just 77 games. However, he had trouble staying healthy, never appearing in over 60 games for Buffalo in his last three seasons. In addition, he was held below 30 points in his final two campaigns. His inability to remain in the line-up and poor play made him expendable to the Sabres management.
In the 2009 offseason, Afinogenov was demanding a large long-term contract from the Sabres brass. When they refused to meet his demands, Afinogenov joined the free agent pool.
Once on the open market, he found it difficult to wrangle long-term offers from other NHL clubs. This led him to sign a small one-year deal with the Atlanta Thrashers in the hope that a stellar season would get him a long-term contract.
Afinogenov had the second best season of his career, notching 24 goals and 37 assists for 61 points. Nevertheless, he was not able to find an appropriate suitor this offseason.
Afinogenov’s play has been described as erratic. One night he will be all over the score sheet and the following night he simply disappears. It seems as though his reputation has ended his National Hockey League career.
Afinogenov was selected 69th overall by the Sabres in the third round of the 1997 NHL entry draft. He scored 395 points in 651 NHL appearances.
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