Mike Vecchione found out mid-flight to Chelyabinsk that Traktor traded him to Barys Astana: 'It was a shock'

"Mike Vecchione's tenure with the KHL's Traktor Chelyabinsk lasted just two weeks as the former two-time Calder Cup champion forward found out he was no longer part of the team while literally flying to join the club. Vecchione suffered from a quirk in KHL rules that allows Russian teams to only have three foreign players on their roster and in their game lineup per season."

""My wife was going to move to Chelyabinsk with me, now she'll move to Astana," Vecchione told Sport-Express' Mikhail Skryl last month, as translated via Google Translate. "Nothing has changed much. The exchange itself was a shock: I was flying to Chelyabinsk, and before I even landed, I found out about the exchange. But no hard feelings, it's business. I'm happy to be here, with the new team, and moving forward.""

""You see, it's business," Vecchione said. "The coach and the general manager called me and explained everything. No hard feelings, I understand everything. I'm happy to be at Barys. The guys have accepted me very well, the coach is helping me get in shape, get going. In addition, they are signing more legionnaires (foreign players) with whom I used to play and know well. So I believe that everything that happens is"

Mike Vecchione was traded from Traktor Chelyabinsk to Barys Astana after learning about the move while flying to join Traktor. The trade resulted from a KHL rule limiting Russian teams to three foreign players, allowing Traktor to sign Josh Leivo, who scored a league-record 49 goals in 2024-25. Traktor moved Vecchione for cash considerations. Vecchione had just married days earlier and had prepared Traktor shirts for friends and family. In four games with Barys he recorded seven points, including a four-point night against Dynamo Moscow, and tied for the league scoring lead. Vecchione described the move as business and reported a positive reception from teammates and coaches.

Read at RMNB