Former Controversial Vancouver Canucks Forward Signs New Contract After Being Blacklisted from the NHL

The 2025-26 season is nearly two months old for several of the top leagues across the Atlantic in Europe but we've seen quite a bit of movement lately involving former members of the Vancouver Canucks organization.

Former goaltender Spencer Martin was placed on waivers by CSKA Moscow last week, Louis Domingue had his contract terminated in order to pursue an opportunity in the American Hockey League, while Tyler Graovac inked a one-year deal with Lada Togliatti after going unsigned all summer.

Another former Vancouver Canuck who has been looking for a new club for months now is forward Brendan Leipsic and on Sunday morning, he was finally able to put pen-to-paper on a contract for this season.

In a post on social media on Sunday, KHL club SKA St. Petersburg announced that they've agreed to terms on a one-year contract with former NHL forward Brendan Leipsic.

Leipsic, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, had interest from teams around the KHL this summer, including from Amur Khabarovsk, but nothing ever materialized on that front.

The 31-year-old winger spent parts of four seasons in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals between 2016 and 2020 before having his contract terminated by the Caps after some misogynistic Instagram messages were made public during the Covid shutdown.

In 226 career games in the KHL with CSKA Moscow, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, SKA St. Petersburg, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg and Sibir Novosibirsk, Lepsic has 131 points (52 goals, 79 assists), 78 penalty minutes and is a plus-four.

Leipsic 2025-26 season debut could come as early as Monday as SKA St. Petersburg take on Chernyshev Division leaders Avangard Omsk.