KHL scoring star Steve Moses is on his way to the NHL next season.
The highly sought-after free agent agreed to a $1-million, one-year deal with the Nashville Predators following a courting period that saw as many as 20 teams express interest.
Moses spent the past three years playing for Jokerit Helsinki and established a new KHL record this season by scoring 36 goals in 57 games.
He added five more in 10 playoff games before Jokerit was eliminated by CSKA Moscow three weeks ago.
The Columbus Blue Jackets had been considered the front-runner to sign Moses because of a couple close connections to him; general manager Jarmo Kekelainen originally brought the 25-year-old winger to Jokerit while assistant general manager Bill Zito was his agent until becoming a NHL executive.
The Blue Jackets ended up making a strong push — as did the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to sources — but Nashville stepped up with the best offer for Moses.
The Leominster, Mass., native played at the University of New Hampshire before heading to Europe and was never drafted by a NHL team.
Listed at five-foot-nine, his speed and shot are considered his biggest assets.
Moses played with James van Riemsdyk at UNH and the pair lived together a couple summers ago. Van Riemsdyk, the Maple Leafs winger, says his friend is one of the most dedicated athletes he’s ever seen and recalled him having a timer on his watch beep every two hours to remind him to eat as part of a specialized meal plan.
Even though Moses isn’t particularly tall, van Riemsdyk says he’s thick like Toronto teammate Leo Komarov and should be able to withstand the physical rigours that come with playing on a smaller ice surface.
“He skates like the wind,” van Riemsdyk told me recently. “He’s really well built. He won’t get thrown around over here.”