Nikita Tryamkin inks a one-year deal in the KHL

There will not be a Nikita Tryamkin reunion tour in Vancouver next season.

The Canucks’ third-round pick from the 2014 draft will remain in Russia for another season as he’s signed a one-year deal with Yekaterinburg.

After playing 79 games over parts of two seasons with the Canucks in 2015-16 and 2016-17, Tryamkin returned to the KHL, where he’s been playing since. There had been plenty of speculation that Tryamkin would give the NHL another shot, but, ultimately, he and the Canucks couldn’t reach a deal.

Tryamkin’s agent said back in April that the defender was ready for a return to the NHL after honing his skills and playing a larger role in the KHL. A few days later, his agent also said that Tryamkin wasn’t interested in playing in the AHL and that he was seeking a guaranteed spot on Vancouver’s blueline.

Heading into next season, the Canucks already have Alex Edler, Tyler Myers, Quinn Hughes, and Jordie Benn under contract while Troy Stetcher is set to become a restricted free agent and Chris Tanev is an unrestricted free agent. Also in the system competing for spots on the Canucks’ blueline are guys like Olli Juolevi, Brogan Rafferty, and the newly-signed Jack Rathbone.

Considering the organization’s depth chart and their tricky salary cap situation, guaranteeing Tryamkin a spot on the team with a one-way deal probably wasn’t a realistic option for the Canucks at this point.

This might represent the end of the Tyramkin and Canucks saga. Tryamkin turns 26 years old in August, meaning, one year later, he’ll be eligible to become a restricted free agent in the NHL. That would give the Canucks a small window to negotiate a deal for a possible 2021-22 return before Tryamkin is able to work out a deal with other NHL teams.