Pierrick Dubé became the second former Hershey Bears player to be traded in the KHL this season — and by the same club.
Saturday, Traktor Chelyabinsk sent the French forward to SKA Saint Petersburg for 23-year-old defenseman Nikita Smirnov in a salary-cap move. Sport-Express’s Artur Khairullin added that SKA sent Traktor 25 million rubles ($310k USD) to complete the exchange. Smirnov has 1 goal in 11 games this season for SKA.
Dubé did not fly with Traktor for their road trip and gave his teammates hugs as they departed.
“We’re not saying ‘goodbye,’ we’re saying ‘see you soon’ 😉” Trakor Chelyabinsk wrote on Instagram. “Thanks for being part of our black and white gang 🖤🤍”
The deal comes as Traktor is reportedly set to sign Vitali Kravtsov to a three-year contract after he was put on unconditional waivers by the Vancouver Canucks earlier this week and had his NHL contract terminated.
Kravtsov signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Canucks over the offseason, hoping to return to the NHL. Instead, the 25-year-old winger was placed on waivers after ample opportunity during the preseason and training camp, and struggled in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks, posting only four points (1g, 3a) in his first 10 games.
Kravtsov previously spent parts of eight seasons with Traktor, including the last two years, posting 160 points (81 goals, 79 assists) in 288 games.
Dubé’s trade comes after a strong start to the season, where he scored four goals in his first five games and was among the league leaders in points and goals. Since then, he’s cooled off considerably, notching 14 points (7g, 7a) in 21 games — good for fifth most on the team.
Dubé, who scored a hat trick in Hershey’s Calder Cup-winning Game 6 against Coachella Valley, joins Mike Vecchione as the other Bears Calder Cup-winning player to see a change of scenery during the 2025-26 season.
Vecchione, who signed with Traktor over the offseason, got dealt to Barys Astana for cash considerations. Traktor then went on to sign Josh Leivo, whose contract had recently been terminated by Salavat Yulaev after he reportedly arrived late for training camp. Leivo leads the team with 25 points (9g, 16a) in 21 games.
