Chris Simon will not be skating in the NHL next season as he has signed with Vityaz Chekhov in Russia, according to several media reports.
Over his 15 seasons in the NHL, Simon was suspended eight times. Most recently he was given a 30 game suspension for stepping on the leg of Pittsburgh Penguins' forward Jarkko Ruutu back on December 15th. Simon, 36, was a member of the New York Islanders at the time.
The Islanders dealt Simon to the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline for a 6th round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Over his 38-games for the Islanders and Wild in 2007/08, Simon had one goal and two assists with 59 penalty minutes. Over his NHL career, he scored 144 goals, with 161 assists and 1,824 penalty minutes over 782 games.
He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1990 (2nd round - 25th overall).
Former NHLer Alexei Zhamnov is the general manger of Vityaz Chekhov. The team plays in the Continental Hockey League.