His first season in the KHL (2020-2021) led to him signing a 1-year deal with the Marlies for the 2021-22 season where he skated in 20 games for the club registering just 5 points before being dealt to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
In total, the 26-year-old skated in just 5 career NHL games with the Minnesota Wild during the 2019-20 season without registering a point. The undrafted blueliner was initially signed by Minnesota in 2017 and spent the first 3 seasons of his pro career with the AHL's Iowa Wild.
Given all that's happening surrounding Russia at this time, this is certainly a puzzling career and life decision from Menell.