Apparently, Shipachyov is looking to get out of Vegas. Vegas is apparently not a good fit for him, as he’s been sent to the AHL for the second time. Clearly Shipachyov is capable of being a high end NHL player, however, it is evident that, that may only be possible with a different team.

I see Montreal, Carolina, Nashville, Edmonton, and Arizona as the most likely trade destinations. Personally, Montreal and Carolina are my top two most likely, if Shipachyov is traded.

*the Vegas option on the poll is for if you think he stays in Vegas.

In terms of salary, any team acquiring Shipachyov would be on the hook for $3M this year & $4M next. #Vegas has already paid him his $2M SB.

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) October 26, 2017

Why would any team acquire him? 4.5m cap hit for an AHLer. No proof he can be a good NHLer.

I do think he can be a good NHLer. I watched his debut, he looked really good. Maybe it's an issue with Gallant? The language barrier? I don't think Shipachyov speaks any English, so that might be part of it as well. I think he can be a good 2C for a team, just depends on the fit. A lot of teams could use another center right now

He's waiver exempt, so he can be moved up and down without losing a player.
He's also not going to have an impact or showcase his ability with the limited ice time he's getting.

If he doesn't get the chance to prove himself NHL capable, the decision to send him down is less questionable. If he's putting up a point per game while playing 16 minutes a night, sending him down raises eyebrows. That means having to trade away another player or risk losing someone to waivers. If you lose a player for nothing after using an expansion pick on that player, that's a question mark as well.
They may have intended to keep him dangling until closer to the trade deadline, but he doesn't seem like he is going to be accommodating.

Small sample size of course, but Shipachyov hasn't been that bad to this point.

FF%: 46.67% (3/5 for VGK centers)
SCF%: 50% (2/5 for VGK centers, only behind Lindberg)
Offensive Zone FO%: 58.82% (1/5 for VGK)
---- All data from Natural Stat Trick

He does look a little lost, but he's been deployed sparingly by Gallant: he's used to being used as a top six forward with closer to 20 minutes of ice time than 10. He's also adjusting to the NHL ice, so there's reason to believe he will get better.

I'm discarding the idea that his waiver exempt status will matter to the team that acquires him: his agent won't pursue a trade with a team that has any inkling of using him in the same manner.

The trade that most makes sense to me, at this moment, is with Montreal:
2019 1st Round Pick + Tomas Plekanec --> VGK
Vadim Shipachyov + Brad Hunt --> MTL

Shipachyov is an NHLer undoubtedly. He was one of Vegas' best forwards when he did play. He led the KHL in scoring last year, and is in the same talent tier as Dadonov and Radulov. The only reason he was in the AHL at at is because McPhee poorly managed the roster, and took on 9 defensemen who they thought they could trade. Shipachyov is waiver-exempt so they sent him down while they tried to find a deal to clear up a roster spot.

Out of all the teams, I think that he will either go to:

LA: With Jeff Carter out until at least March, LA need someone down the mid and Brooks Laich won't be the best option forever.
Carolina: This is one of the teams interested in Duchene (In my opinion, most teams interested in Duchene will be on this list) and they could use Shipachyov even if he plays 2nd line.
Montreal: Is there really an explanation needed here, the have literally 2 wins and need the offensive depth. It may take Galchenyuk to possibly acquire him but it might be worth it.
Either NY team: Both are in need of people down the mid, NYR more then ever and could easily acquire him for maybe a goaltender to hold Vegas for a while or a prospect.
Arizona: Doubtful but logical, they haven't been what people thought they would be so if they could acquire Shipachyov then maybe, just maybe, something could change.

Montreal might be a good fit but not if Montreal trades Galchenyuk. They could be linemates, and Chucky is the only Canadien who speaks Russian.

I just read that Montreal isn’t seeking Shipachyov. My list of probable destinations are: Carolina, Nashville, and NY Rangers.

Can someone explain why fans are so enamored with this guy, cause I just don't see it. He's 30yr old and a $4.5 million cap hit w/ no track record in NA Hockey. This isn't some 20yr old kid and it takes time to adjust to the NA style/rink size. Lets say he gets adjust after 1 year (which would be impressive in itself), you get 1 year of this guy before he's a 32yr old FA. I watched him when he played Boston scoring his goal, and honestly I wasn't blown away. Hardly noticed the guy outside the goal.

He was a KHL superstar, he has talent just needs some time to get used to being in a new league.. Sure he’s not a top line center, but he could easily fit into a second line center role.

True, but the guys 30yr old, its not like he's in or entering he prime. In fact, he's start to go towards being out of his prime is he not? IDK I think he came over to late and I wouldn't be surprise to see him head back to the KHL after his contract is up, if not sooner.

I agree. He’s probably worth a 3rd and a decent prospect, simply because he still has some value left.

as the Rangers, if Vegas retains 50% they can have a 2nd and Gropp.

I feel as though Nashville might be the destination. They have a real shot at the cup if they can get Shipachyov to solidify their center depth.

Technically if Shipachyov goes to Nashville then he would be in the same situation that he would be in if being dealt to LA, being a 2nd line replacement for Bonino or Carter, afterwards, he's as good as a 3rd line center with them.

Strength down the middle is one of the most important things a team needs if they want to win a Cup. He'd be an ideal third line center for a legit contender

Any chance he would go to Florida to play alongside Dadanov? Weren't they teammates in the KHL?

I would consider that a possibility.

If Tampa had the cap space and roster spot for him, he may be a good fit. If the language barrier is a problem, Tampa has a decent amount of Russians that could help him fit in.

Not sure about that. High level talent that doesn't wanna report to the minor league team. The only interest Yzerman would have in him is if he can fleece Montreal for a stud Dman.

If that's the case, keep the dman. It would be laughable if they gave up Juulsen.

I feel like Bergevin would though, lol.

It's a possibility, but I don't quite see it. The Panthers' 1-2-3 down the middle is Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck, and Nick Bjugstad, and I find it hard to imagine Dale Tallon parting with that particular set of homegrown talent. Sure, Bjugstad isn't great, but he's also still a former 1st-round pick, and teams get unreasonably clingy to former 1st-round picks (see: Griffin Reinhart).

Speaking of Griffin Reinhart, McPhee should just put him on waivers already. I think he's widely considered a bust by most front offices in this league at this point, so he's got very little value. Shipachyov is clearly a victim of whatever numbers game McPhee is playing with his roster, so if he just puts Reinhart on waivers and plays the probability that he'll pass, there's a roster spot for Shipachyov.

If I had to pick a trade destination for Shipachyov, though: Colorado. One-for-one swap with Carl Söderberg (assuming the latter waives his modified NTC); the money at least works out. Maybe throw in Joe Colborne, since he's already in the minors. And they've already got, like, 4 Russians on their roster: Nail Yakupov, Nikita Zadorov, Semyon Varlamov, and Andrei Mironov.