Nesterov has reportedly signed a contract with CSKA Moskva of the KHL, Hailey Salvian of The Athletic reports.
Nesterov appeared in 38 games with the Flames in 2020-21 after spending three seasons in his native Russia, picking up four points while posting a minus-10 rating over that span. It wouldn't be surprising to see the 28-year-old blueliner spend the rest of his career playing in the KHL.
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Flames' Nikita Nesterov: Chips in with assist
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Nesterov recorded an assist and two shots on net in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.
Nesterov has played in seven of the Flames' last eight games after Noah Hanifin (shoulder) was ruled out for the year. The 28-year-old Nesterov hasn't done much on offense with four helpers, 33 shots on net and a minus-7 rating through 37 outings. He's added 41 hits, 29 blocked shots and 18 PIM.
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Flames' Nikita Nesterov: Part-time role
Rotowire
Nesterov has played in only seven of the Flames' last 13 games.
In that span, he's failed to record a point. Nesterov has seemingly been passed by Michael Stone on the depth chart, although the two blueliners have shared a third-pairing assignment alongside Juuso Valimaki. Nesterov has just three assists, 28 shots on net, 29 hits and 22 blocked shots in 31 contests.
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Flames' Nikita Nesterov: Gathers assist
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Nesterov notched an assist and two hits in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Senators.
Nesterov had the secondary helper on Johnny Gaudreau's third-period tally. The 27-year-old Nesterov has just three helpers through 24 games, but they've all come within his last five outings. The Russian rearguard's recent success on the scoresheet could keep him in the lineup more often going forward.
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Flames' Nikita Nesterov: Grabs helper in win
Rotowire
Nesterov posted an assist, four blocked shots and two hits in Friday's 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs.
Nesterov made his first appearance since March 11 -- the Russian blueliner spent three games as a healthy scratch while Oliver Kylington played on the third pairing. The 27-year-old Nesterov set up Matthew Tkachuk's goal just 1:19 into Friday's game. It was Nesterov's second assist in 22 games this year. He's added 18 shots on net, 19 hits, 15 blocked shots and 10 PIM in a limited role.
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Flames' Nikita Nesterov: First point as a Flame
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Nesterov picked up an assist in Sunday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Senators.
Nesterov earned the secondary helper on Mark Giordano's second-period tally. The 27-year-old Nesterov picked up his first point as a Flame. He's added 18 shots on goal, 16 hits and a minus-7 rating through 20 appearances. Nesterov will need to keep his performance strong to keep Oliver Kylington as a healthy scratch.
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Flames' Nikita Nesterov: No points through first month
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Nesterov has no points in 13 appearances.
The Russian blueliner joined the Flames on a one-year contract in October to provide defensive depth. Nesterov won a third-pairing job in training camp -- he's often been partnered with top prospect Juuso Valimaki. The 27-year-old Nesterov has a minus-3 rating, eight shots on goal, nine hits and seven blocked shots this year. He didn't play in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Canucks, instead sitting as a healthy scratch while Connor Mackey made his NHL debut. Nesterov will likely maintain a better part of a timeshare whether he faces competition from Mackey or Oliver Kylington over the course of the rest of the season.
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Flames' Nikita Nesterov: Inks one-year pact
Rotowire
Nesterov agreed to terms on a one-year, $700,000 contract with Calgary on Friday, per PuckPedia.
Nesterov will make his return to the NHL for the first time since 2016-17 when he played for the Lightning and Canadiens. During his absence, the 27-year-old blueliner spent three years with CSKA Moscow in the KHL, during which he registered 14 goals and 46 assists in 136 contests. With Calgary, Nesterov will likely have to beat out Oliver Kylington and Alexander Yelesin for a spot in the lineup and could spend some time observing from the press box.
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Nikita Nesterov: Will head back to Russia
Rotowire
Nesterov will decline offers to play in the NHL, instead opting to sign in the KHL, per agent Dan Milstein.
Nesterov joined the Tampa Bay organization heading into the 2013-14 campaign and spent the year with AHL Syracuse. The next two seasons would be split between the Lightning and the Crunch before he landed a permanent role for 2016-17. That spot wouldn't last as he was shipped off to Montreal at the trade deadline. In total, the blueliner appeared in 132 NHL contests, tallying 10 goals and 23 helpers. At just 24 years old, the former fifth-round pick could certainly make a comeback in the future, and you have to wonder how much the 2018 Winter Olympics factor into his decision. Given the uncertainty regarding whether he'll make a return to North America, fantasy owners should probably cut bait rather than stashing him away.
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Canadiens' Nikita Nesterov: Turns out to be rental player
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Nesterov will not receive a qualifying offer from the Canadiens, Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada reports.
This means that Nesterov will be able to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent starting July 1. Acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay in late January, the defenseman found his way into 13 regular-season games with the Canadiens, notching five points and averaging 15:29 of ice time. His impact was negligible in the postseason, too, as he posted box-score goose eggs over a pair of contests against the Rangers in the conference quarterfinals. Montreal also shipped out a rearguard prospect in Mikhail Sergachev -- he's heading to the Lightning after Thursday's swap for Jonathan Drouin -- so there could end up being a noticeable shift in terms of fantasy options to chose from on the Habs' blue line next season.
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Canadiens' Nikita Nesterov: Chips in with assist in Friday's loss
Rotowire
Nesterov posted an assist with a minor penalty and four hits in Friday's 4-2 loss against the Lightning.
Nesterov missed the entire month of March due to an undisclosed injury, and he has managed just one assist in three outings in April. He just hasn't been a very reliable option in most fantasy formats. Avoid him in most postseason fantasy pools and DFS play.
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Canadiens' Nikita Nesterov: Available to play
Rotowire
Nesterov (undisclosed) has been cleared to return, but will be a healthy scratch against the Stars on Tuesday.
Nesterov has played in a mere nine contests for the Canadiens since being acquired at the trade deadline from Tampa. The blueliner was an occasional healthy scratch for the Lightning and it appears little has changed after his move to the Great White North. It may take an injury to a fellow blueliner for the 23-year-old to crack the lineup.
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Canadiens' Nikita Nesterov: No-go Saturday
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Nesterov (undisclosed) is listed as an injured scratch for Saturday's game against the Senators, NHL.com reports.
Make that 12 straight absences for the Russian blueliner -- some of those can be attributed to healthy scratches. His next chance to play will now be Tuesday, when the Habs play host to the Stars.
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Canadiens' Nikita Nesterov: Dealing with undisclosed ailment
Rotowire
Nesterov didn't practice Thursday due to an undisclosed injury.
Nesterov must have sustained the injury during a previous practice, as the 23-year-old blueliner has been a healthy scratch for the Canadiens' last seven games. A more definite timetable for Nesterov's return to health should be established once he's able to resume skating, but his inability to crack Montreal's lineup with any sort of regularity keeps him off the fantasy radar in all but the deepest of leagues.
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Canadiens' Nikita Nesterov: First goal in bleu, blanc et rouge
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Nesterov scored Montreal's lone goal in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Flyers.
Nesterov is off to a nice start in a Canadiens uniform. Two games into his stint with the Habs, he has three shots, three hits, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating. In addition to Thursday's goal, he created a Grade A scoring chance for himself in Tuesday's win over the Sabres.
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Canadiens' Nikita Nesterov: Plus-2 in Montreal debut Tuesday
Rotowire
Nesterov posted one shot on net, two blocked shots, two hits and a plus-2 rating over 14:21 of ice time in a 5-2 win over Buffalo on Tuesday.
Nesterov made his Montreal debut, and it looks like he'll be a regular on the third pair. His ability as a puck-moving defenseman earned him minutes on the second power-play unit Tuesday.
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Canadiens' Nikita Nesterov: In lineup Tuesday
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Nesterov will make his Montreal debut Tuesday against the Sabres, Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette reports.
The Canadiens placed Zach Redmond on waivers Monday to make room for Nesterov, who was acquired from Tampa Bay last week for minor league defenseman Jonathan Racine. During Monday's practice session, he skated on the third pairing with Andrei Markov, who could return to the ice after missing 19 games due to a groin injury. Nesterov is a puck mover whom the Lightning used temporarily at forward when they had some injuries up front.
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Canadiens' Nikita Nesterov: Traded to Montreal
Rotowire
Tampa Bay traded Nesterov to the Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Jonathan Racine and a 2017 sixth-round pick on Thursday.
Racine is currently developing in the minors and only has one career NHL game under his belt, so this trade allows the Canadiens to add a bottom-pairing defender without giving up much in return. Nesterov has only tallied 12 points while registering a minus-3 rating over 35 games with the Lightning this season, and likely won't ascend into fantasy relevancy with his new club.
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Lightning's Nikita Nesterov: Picks up two assists in loss
Rotowire
Nesterov picked up two assists in Tampa Bay's 4-2 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon.
Nesterov now has eight points in 28 games and is just a single point from equaling his career mark of nine points in 57 games in 2015-16. He remains a marginal fantasy play in most formats.
