It looks like the Blackhawks will have to wait at least another season for Maxim Shalunov.



Shalunov will not be able to join the Blackhawks this season because his current KHL team Sibir Novosibirsk is unwilling to release him from his contract, Shalunov’s agent Shumi Babaev said on Tuesday. Sibir Novosibirsk’s season is over, but Shalunov’s contract officially runs until April 30.



“They will not give us permission to play in the NHL for the next four months, so we can only decide after the contract,” Babaev said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “I talked to Sibir’s GM [Kirill Fastovsky] and asked if they’re ready to cancel the contract. He said, ‘No, is not possible.’”



Babaev was hopeful Sibir Novosibirsk would cancel Shalunov’s contract and allow him to sign with the Blackhawks and play with them in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. Shalunov will not break his KHL contract...