Yegor Zamula opens up on turbulent NHL exit to CSKA

Yegor Zamula, the CSKA Moscow defenceman, says his campaign has been difficult in which he was traded twice, first out of the Philadelphia Flyers and then away from the Columbus Blue Jackets before his move back to Russia.

Zamula said he had begun angling for a trade out of Philadelphia as far back as the previous summer, but the move did not materialise until this year, when he was dealt to Columbus. He denied reports linking his departure to friction with Flyers coach Rick Tocchet.

He said the switch to Columbus suited him well, praising the club’s structure, and added that there had been contract talks with the Blue Jackets over an extension.

That homesickness has now led him to CSKA, ending a decade in the NHL, with stops in Philadelphia and Columbus.