600-game veteran and longtime San Jose Shark abandons the NHL

This off-season, we've seen a major amount of NHL veterans looking to take their talents overseas, with Tony DeAngelo earlier in the week the latest, and now, another veteran is headed to the KHL. According to an official report from Dynamo Minsk of the KHL, Chris Tierney has signed a one-year deal with the team that will see him join fellow Canadians such as Nicholas Meloche, Jordan Brooke and Dillon Dube.

The 30-year old was the No. 55 pick of the NHL Draft way back in 2012 for the San Jose Sharks, and would make his debut in 2014 with the team, eventually skating in 649 NHL games before his departure. In that time, the veteran forward tallied 80 goals and 248 points, and while he would never go onto stardom in the league, he has been a valuable veteran for San Jose, Ottawa, Florida, Montreal and most recently the New Jersey Devils.

It's unclear if this is the end of Tierney in the NHL, but with four straight years of less than 10 goals scored, it's clear he's just not cut out for the league at this point, so the move to the KHL could be one that looks to reignite his career. While many would look at this move as a downgrade, if used properly, time away from North America and the pressures of the NHL can be a great thing, so now we will wait and see whether Tierney can get back to his best or whether his future lays overseas for now.