Former Vancouver Canucks Forward Shockingly Has Contract Terminated in KHL After Winning MVP
Photo credit: Sportsnet
A former Vancouver Canucks forward has reportedly had his contract terminated overseas just months after being named KHL MVP for the 2024-25 season.
The 2025-26 season for some leagues in Europe, including the KHL, is set to begin in less than a month, with a number of former Vancouver Canucks returning to action.
One of those former Vancouver Canucks that was gearing up for another season overseas was Josh Leivo, who is who had a historic year in the KHL during the 2024-25 campaign, earning MVP honors after after breaking the league record for most goals in a single season (49).
With KHL training camps opening up in recent weeks, Josh Leivo got some very unfortunate news from his club - Salavat Yulayev, who signed him to a multi-year deal earlier this year.
Former Vancouver Canuck Josh Leivo reportedly has contract terminated overseas
According to AHL reporter Patrick Williams, citing Russian media outlets Sport-Express and Championat, Josh Leivo has had his contract terminated by Salavat Yulayev.
Williams added that Leivo was late showing up to Salavat Yulayev's training camp, which was a result of his Russian visa not coming in on time, something that all players from Western countries need, especially Canadian citizens.
"Per both Sport-Express and Championat in Russia, Josh Leivo's contract with Salavat Yulayev has been terminated. No official announcement from the team yet.
From what I can gather according to the original reporting, Leivo was late showing up to training camp.
But the reporting goes that his visa had not come through yet, which seems like a pretty legit reason. As a Canadian citizen, a visa is an absolute must to enter Russia." Williams said on X.
From what I can gather according to the original reporting, Leivo was late showing up to training camp.
But the reporting goes that his visa had not come through yet, which seems like a pretty legit reason. As a Canadian citizen, a visa is an absolute must to enter Russia." Williams said on X.
Hockey Worldwide is reporting that Josh Leivo's contract termination also has to do with a difficult financial situation Salavat Yulayev is dealing with and the club will now save around 30 million rubles ($518K CAD)
They also shared that Leivo's agent says that the contract termination was not mutual.
"Due to being in a desperate financial situation, Salavat Yulaev Ufa 🇷🇺 have terminated the contract of forward 🇨🇦Joshua Leivo, which had an AAV of 110 million rubles until 2027." Hockey Worldwide said on Instagram.
Leivo, a native of Innisfil, Ontario, spent parts of two seasons as a member of the Vancouver Canucks between December 2018 and October 2020, appearing in 85 games where he registered 37 points (17 goals, 20 assists).
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