"The third time proved lucky as the Canadiens finally convinced Russian defenceman Alexei Yemelin that his future is in the National Hockey League.

Yemelin, who was drafted by the Canadiens in the third round of the 2004 NHL entry draft, has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal. The deal, which includes a signing bonus, is worth about $984,000. The Canadiens are counting on Yemelin starting the season in Montreal, but the deal reportedly contains a clause that would allow the 25-year-old to return to the Kontinental Hockey League rather than play in the American Hockey League.

Two previous attempts to sign Yemelin fell short.

In 2007, the Canadiens negotiated a deal with agent Don Meehan after Yemelin's Russian club, Lada Togliatti, ran into financial problems. But the agreement was reached hours after Yemelin's Russian agent agreed to a two-year deal with Russian powerhouse Ak Bars Kazan.

The Canadiens made another run at Yemelin in 2009, but he decided to stay with Ak Bars Kazan.

The third attempt bore fruit after general manager Pierre Gauthier travelled to Slovakia last week to watch Yemelin play at the world championships. The deal was finalized Tuesday.

The wait may have been beneficial because Yemelin has grown in stature since the Canadiens drafted him and he has added an offensive element to his game in the past year. At 6-foot-2 and 223 pounds, he had a reputation as a solid stay-at-home defenceman who excelled in the defensive zone. He had one goal in 158 games in his first three seasons with Ak Bars Kazan and his physical style was reflected in the 123 penalty minutes he collected in his rookie season.

Yemelin's profile changed in the KHL playoffs last season when he was used on the power play. He had five goals and eight assists in 22 games.

He had a career season in 2010-11, scoring 11 and 16 assists for 27 points. He finished the season with a plus-minus rating of plus-17."