“This is a mature decision by a professional athlete.” Zamula passed the waiver draft and received free agent status

Russian defenseman of “Pittsburgh” Egor Zamula went through the waiver draft procedure, the hockey player’s agent Dan Milstein reported on the X network.

Now the 25-year-old player has received free agent status, his contract with Pittsburgh has been terminated.

— On December 20, 2025, Egor Zamula contacted our agency with a clear and principled goal: to find an opportunity to return to the NHL as soon as possible and continue his career at the highest level.

After discussions with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Philadelphia Flyers gave us official permission to negotiate with other NHL teams. From the very beginning, Egor and I agreed that the situation could develop according to two realistic scenarios: moving to another club or terminating the existing contract and then signing a new agreement with the NHL.

All parties we spoke with were fully briefed on the player’s situation, including Pittsburgh, who acquired him via trade.

I would like to personally thank the management and administrative bodies of both organizations for their professional, transparent and very constructive work over the past seven days.

Having received permission, we discussed for a long time what would be the best fit for Yegor. As a result, he chose the club with which he would sign a contract in the NHL. An official announcement will follow shortly.

“This was a deliberate, mature decision by a professional athlete who chose long-term opportunities and the chance to remain in the NHL over short-term financial considerations,” Milstein said.

Zamula came to Pittsburgh from Philadelphia in a trade for Canadian forward Philip Tomasino. After that, the Russian defender was suspended due to failure to appear at the Pittsburgh farm club, and then put up for a waiver draft in order to terminate his contract.

In the 2025/26 season, Zamula scored 1 (0+1) point with a utility rating of “+4” in 13 matches for the Flyers.