Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nic Petan has signed a deal to return to the KHL as he continues his career overseas after leaving the NHL a couple seasons ago.
On Monday, the Shanghai Dragons added a veteran presence to their lineup by signing former Maple Leafs forward Nic Petan to a one-year deal.
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The AHL stalwart hasn't played in North American since the 2023-24 season, and spent last season in the Swiss League but only appeared in 15 games. He has 299 career AHL points in over 300 games; so he's been a fairly consistent and reliable presence for nearly a decade.
Shanghai adding a former Maple Leaf with over 400 pro games under his belt
Shanghai's GM Evgeny Artyukhin was thrilled to have Petan aboard, and mentioned his scoring ability as a key reason as to why he wanted to sign him:
We are continuing to strengthen our offense, and a skilled playmaker is exactly what our team needs.
Petan has a high hockey IQ and is capable of controlling the play, creating scoring chances for his teammates and finishing opportunities himself. He can contribute both at even strength and on the power play.
His soft hands, excellent skating and ability to anticipate plays several moves ahead will make the Dragons stronger in the new season.
Petan does have some NHL experience though, as he suited up in 170 games and recorded 35 points, a minus-26 and 46 PIM. The 31-year-old has spent time with Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto, and Minnesota with his best season coming in 2016-17 where he had 13 points (1 goal, 12 assists).
A coaching shakeup completely changed Shanghai's season
It's not like Shanghai is some middle of the road team however.
Currently they also employ former WHL standout and former Capitals pick Riley Sutter, former Sabres draft pick and NHL player Brett Murray, former NHL player Martin Frk while also having former Capitals coach Mitch Love running things behind the bench alongside Slava Kozlov; and Ilya Kovalchuk is Team President.
Love took over for Gerard Gallant who ended up leaving the team in January due to health concerns, meanwhile Kozlov and Kovalchuk are Russian hockey royalty and carved out great NHL careers.
Shanghai struggled last year, with a 16-35-5-12 record (W-L-OTW-OTL) and gave up nearly 70 more goals than they scored in 2025-26 and it'll be up to Petan to help turn things around.
So it seems like Petan is in a really good spot in signing with Shanghai, and he looks to be the extra fire the Dragons were looking for heading into the 2026-27 KHL season.
Do you remember Nic Petan's time with the Toronto Maple Leafs?
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