A Belarusian Rookie On The Nashville Predators Received Calls From 29 NHL Teams

• 27.08.2026, 15:15

There was a full-blown manhunt for hockey player Vitaly Pinchuk.

Belarusian forward for the Nashville Predators Vitaly Pinchuk shared how other National Hockey League clubs had shown interest in him, according to betnews.

— They mostly called my agent because it was during the season. Dan [Milshtein] said that 29 out of 32 teams were interested.

— And the remaining three weren’t aware that you were on the market?

— That’s because of political views. There are three teams that don’t like Russians and Belarusians. But other than that, yes—almost all the clubs.

— How did they compete for you? What “perks” did they offer?

— Let’s say, in New Jersey they said: “Look, we have an arena right nearby. We don’t have a separate practice facility—we play and practice in the same one. You don’t have to drive to different places all the time.” Some said we have a good climate and a safe city—they’d use that as an argument because I’m moving to a different country with a different mindset.

— Who called it that?

— “Dallas,” said Pinchuk in an episode of the YouTube channel “A Hockey Player’s Vacation.”