The relationship with his coach is one of the reasons Alexander Burmistrov signed in the KHL. (USATSI)
The relationship with his coach is one of the reasons Alexander Burmistrov signed in the KHL. (USATSI)

More NHL offseason: Rumors | Top 50 Free Agents | Buyout Tracker | Trade Tracker

Just before the 2010 NHL draft Alex Burmistrov -- the No. 9 overall pick in that class -- was quite candid when it came to this thoughts on the KHL.

"I really hate the KHL," Burmistrov told Chris Botta of NHL FanHouse a week before the 2010 draft. "I really, really hate it. It's for old guys. I don't want anything to do with the KHL for a long, long time ... maybe ever."

As it turns out, a long, long time was about three years.

After just three seasons in the NHL with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise, Burmistrov, a restricted free agent this summer, signed a two-year contract to play in the KHL with his hometown team of Ak Bars this past week.

Why the change? His Russian agent, Yuri Nikolaev, said a part of his decision was his relationship with Jets coach Claude Noel.

“That was one of the reasons why he left,” Nikolaev told Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun through a translator this week.

Given the way this past season went in Winnipeg, and some of the rumblings that started to surface during the season (including rumors of a rocky relationship with his coach) this probably shouldn't be a huge surprise. There was also a four-game stretch in March where Burmistrov was a healthy scratch that apparently upset him.

Burmistrov's offensive game hasn't quite developed as hoped, but he hasn't been a complete zero in the NHL, either.

Perhaps Bumistrov had a change of heart on the KHL and wanted the opportunity to play in his home town (the money probably didn't hurt, either), but it's still a little surprising that some NHL team -- whether it be the Jets, or another team in a trade -- couldn't find a spot for a talented 21-year-old who already has a strong defensive game in place and has shown flashes of offensive upside.

He scored only four goals for the Jets this past season, but in 76 games during the 2011-12 season he scored 13 goals as a 20-year-old. Combined with his defensive ability and age there's still some value there.

His agent told Wiebe that Burmistrov is open to returning to the NHL in the future.