A former Leaf, who spent last season in the KHL playing for Moscow Dynamo was granted his Russian citizenship on Friday. Brennan Menell played in 44 games for the club last season where he registered 24 points. In April of this year he signed a 3-year extension with the club. At the time, Dynamo's Athletic Director said that Menell had expressed interest in a long-term stay overseas as he had enjoyed his first season with Dynamo.
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.
