Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Nikita Nikitin and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky have signed with the KHL,according to the KHL’s official Twitter account. Nikitin signed with the Avangard Omsk Oblast while Bobrovsky signed with SKA Saint Petersburg.
Nikita Nikitin tallied seven goals and 25 assists in 61 games for Columbus last season. Sergei Bobrovsky started 25 games last season, picking up 14 wins while posting a goal against average of .899. The Columbus Blue Jackets finished 29-46-7 in 2012, good enough for last place in the Western Conference.
Nikitin and Bobrovsky join many other locked-out NHL players seeking refuge with the KHL. Superstars such as Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk as well as dozens of other players have all made their way over to the Russian league to play and maintain their skills while the NHL labor dispute continues.
This story originally appeared at SB Nation. For more on the NHL lockout, check in with our StoryStream and our network of hockey blogs.