Less than a month after former New Jersey Devils forward Joseph Blandisi was traded from SKA St. Petersburg to Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, he has officially been released.
Anton Nekrasov of Russian media outlet Championat announced that Blandisi and Salavat Yulaev Ufa agreed to a mutual contract termination earlier this week. Just over three weeks ago, Blandisi was traded to Ufa in exchange for the KHL rights to Detroit Red Wings goaltender Daniil Tarasov.
During his lone season with SKA St. Petersburg, Blandisi appeared in 62 games and tallied 29 points (12 goals and 17 assists).
Blandisi’s Devils Stint
Although Blandisi, who is now 32 years of age, started his NHL journey when he was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the sixth round of the 2012 NHL Draft, he actually made his debut with the Devils. The Avalanche opted to let Blandisi’s draft rights run out rather than sign him to an entry-level contract. As a result, the New Jersey Devils swooped in and signed him to an entry-level deal on January 14, 2015.
The then 21-year-old forward finished his season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts before making his professional debut during the 2015-16 season. During that campaign, Blandisi played 41 NHL games and recorded 17 points (five goals and 12 assists) for the Devils. He also spent some time with their American Hockey League affiliate at the time, the Albany Devils and went on a short playoff run as well.
The following season, Blandisi’s NHL ice time dropped significantly. He appeared in just 27 games for the Devils during the 2016-17 season, scoring just three goals and adding six assists.
The Rest of Blandisi’s NHL Career
On November 29, 2017, the Devils traded Blandisi to the Anaheim Ducks after he failed to make the NHL roster and was sent to New Jersey’s new AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Devils.
Over the course of two seasons, Blandisi played just six games at the NHL level with the Ducks as he was often with the San Diego Gulls in the AHL. Ultimately, he was traded again during the 2018-19 season, this time to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Blandisi played 27 games in the NHL with the Penguins, the last of his career to date, across two seasons before being on the move once again. On February 19, 2020, he was sent to the Montreal Canadiens and was assigned to the Laval Rocket. After a season and a half with the Rocket, he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, where he’d spend a total of four seasons.
After the 2024-25 season with the Marlies, Blandisi opted to head overseas for the first time in his career as he signed with SKA St. Petersburg.
At this stage, it’s unknown what’s next for Blandisi. He could either sign with another team in the KHL or. considering he’s a proven asset at the AHL level, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a playoff team at that level bring him into the mix. An NHL return seems unlikely since he last played in the league during the 2019-20 season.
Former Devils Forward Looking For New Home Following KHL Release