A former NHL defenseman has announced his retirement while a former winger is heading to Russia's KHL. 

Philippe Boucher, who split last season between the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins, has decided to retire after 17 NHL seasons, having won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins last spring. 

Winger Eric Perrin, who played last season with the Atlanta Thrashers and was an unrestricted free agent, has signed a one-year deal with Avangard Omsk. 

Boucher, 36, also played for the Buffalo Sabres and LA Kings during his career. His best season was in 2006-07, with a career-best 19 goals and 51 points in 76 games with the Stars, earning a berth in the NHL All-Star game. 

He was a good puck-moving defenseman for much of his career but injuries were also his nearly constant companion as he never played a full 82-game season in his career. 

Perrin, 33, had a much shorter NHL career, playing only four seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Atlanta  Thrashers. He won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, but his best NHL season was 2007-08 with the Thrashers, netting 12 goals and 45 points in 81 games. 

Having spent much of his professional career in Europe playing in Russia shouldn't be too difficult of an adjustment, having previously played in Finland and Switzerland.