Alexei Yemelin signs for Montreal Canadiens

Ak Bars Kazan and Russian national team defender Alexei Yemelin has signed a one-year contract with Montreal Canadiens, according to the official website of the NHL club.

The bilateral agreement provides that the 25-year-old player will earn $984,000 a season. It is also said to include a provision enabling the player to return to the KHL in case he fails to earn a place in the first team, according to the TSN.

«We are very glad to have reached the agreement with Alexei. He is a physically strong defender with good skating. The experience he has achieved in the during the last years will allow him to adapt easily to the NHL hockey,» stated Pierre Gauthier, general manager of the Habs.

It is worth noting that the Canadiens have picked Yemelin in the third round of the 2004 NHL draft as number 84.