Predators sign Vitali Pinchuk to one-year, entry-level contract
The Nashville Predators have signed forward Vitali Pinchuk to a one-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Monday afternoon.
Pinchuk, 24, collected 31 goals and 66 points in 65 games with KHL club Dinamo Minsk during the 2025-26 regular season. The 6’3″ center added two goals and seven points in eight games with Minsk during the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs.
Pinchuk’s agent, Dan Milstein, was the first to report the news of the Predators signing his client on Monday. According to PuckPedia, Pinchuk’s entry-level contract will include the maximum entry-level salary of $922,500, as well as a $102,500 signing bonus and up to $1 million in Schedule “A” performance bonuses.
New guy in gold 🤝 We’ve signed forward Vitali Pinchuk to a one-year, entry-level contract for the 2026-27 season. More details » preds.club/4ucYSuq
Widely seen as the top European free agent available to NHL teams this spring, Pinchuk reportedly narrowed down his list to two finalists over the weekend: Nashville and the Los Angeles Kings. With his choice now made, Pinchuk’s entry-level deal with the Predators will cover the 2026-27 season.
A product of Zhlobin, Belarus, Pinchuk played primarily in his home country growing up before joining the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs for the 2019-20 season. But after just one year in North America, Pinchuk returned to Belarus, where he has played ever since.
Pinchuk has played parts of the past six seasons in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk, but he has only emerged as a full-fledged star in the league over the last two. After scoring 25 goals and 43 points in 66 games with Minsk in 2024-25, Pinchuk was named a KHL All-Star and finished third in the league with 31 goals in 2025-26.
The Predators finished four points back of the final Western Conference playoff spot in the 2025-26 season, ending the season with a 38-34-10 record and 86 points in 82 games. Steven Stamkos and Filip Forsberg led the team with 42 goals and 75 points, respectively.