Former New York Islanders defenseman Evgeny Korolev has been released by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the reborn KHL team said Tuesday.
Korolev, 34, joined in the summer as Lokomotiv sought to assemble a team for its return to the KHL after the entire roster was killed in a plane crash at the start of last season.
“The Lokomotiv hockey club and defenseman Evgeny Korolev have decided not to continue their cooperation in the 2012-13 season,” the team said in a website statement.
“The contract has been torn up by mutual agreement.”
No reason for the decision was given.
Korolev played 42 games for the Islanders in the NHL between 1999 and 2001, scoring once and making four assists.
His record in the KHL is 140 games, five goals and 38 assists for SKA St. Petersburg, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, Dynamo Moscow and Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.
Lokomotiv is second in the KHL’s Western Conference with two regular-time wins and one win on penalty shots from three games so far this season.
