Daniil Misyul is leaving North America and going back to play hockey in Russia. He came over two years ago, hoping to build a successful career in the NHL, but things didn’t go as planned.
Misyul didn’t get a chance to show much in the NHL. After being traded from the New Jersey Devils to the Boston Bruins at the 2024 trade deadline, he never played a game for the big club. Instead, he spent time with Boston’s AHL team in Providence, where he played 11 games. In that short run, he scored one goal and finished with a minus-two rating. That wasn’t enough to grab attention or earn a call-up to the NHL.
The 6-foot-3 defenseman, who weighs 196 pounds, is originally from Belarus. Before coming to North America, he had a solid career in the KHL (Russia’s top league), where he played 184 games for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. That’s the same team he’s now signing with again.
Boston held his rights as a restricted free agent, which means they could’ve chosen to keep him. But with Misyul choosing to go back to Russia, the Bruins lose that option without getting much in return.
The trade that brought Misyul to Boston wasn’t a big one. He was acquired in exchange for forward Marc McLaughlin, a player who also hadn’t made a major impact in the NHL. At the time, the Bruins were just taking a low-risk chance on a player who might develop into a solid defenseman. Now that chance is gone.
Still, this isn’t a big loss for Boston. Misyul was never expected to play major minutes for the team, and they didn’t invest much in acquiring him. His return to Russia just closes a door that was already only slightly open.
In the end, Misyul’s time in North America will be remembered as a quiet two-year stretch with little to show. Maybe he finds his rhythm again back home in the KHL, but for now, the Bruins move on.
