Vladimir Sobotka set to stay in KHL with Omsk

We finally have an answer as to whether Vladimir Sobotka will return to the NHL and St. Louis Blues this season.

He’s not.

According to Omsk of the KHL, the 29-year-old Sobotka will stay in Russia to fulfill the final year of his contract.

“The situation is developing exactly as we expected. Sobotka has Omsk [have a] valid contract for next year and representatives of the KHL to the NHL signed a memorandum of respect for treaties,” said club president Vladimir Šhalaev in a statement on Omsk’s website.

The Blues, according to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, are “still waiting to hear” from Sobotka’s camp.

[Sign up to play Yahoo Fantasy Hockey for free | Mock Draft | Latest news]

Sobotka’s agent had been saying for months that his client, despite signing a three-year deal with Omsk in 2014, would be coming back to the Blues to fulfill the one-year of service owed following an arbitration ruling.

Despite the reassurances, St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong was still skeptical as of last month.

“It’s one of those ones where I understand everyone’s nervousness because he’s not here,” he said. “But he’s not going to be here until after the World Cup, so I think the questions are going to persist until he gets off the plane at Lambert (Airport) and comes into the Mills or to Scottrade. When he does that, this will finally be behind us.”

Looks like Armstrong won’t have to make a trip to the airport anytime soon.

– – – – – – –

Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy