Former NHLer Nathan Beaulieu drops KHL tough-guy Mark Verba in pre-season tilt

The KHL's pre-season got underway recently, with opening night right around the corner. There are plenty of new faces on KHL teams this coming season including former Montreal Canadiens first-round pick Nathan Beaulieu.

On Wednesday, Beaulieu and Barys Astana were taking on Avangard Omsk when in the middle frame, the former NHLer proved that he can hang with the tough guys in the KHL.

Beaulieu decided to take on with one of the toughest players in the KHL, Mark Verba and not only did he hold his own, he dropped his opponent pretty quickly with a solid right to Verba's chin.

Beaulieu isn't shy when it comes to dropping the mitts and had ten fights under his belt during his time in the National Hockey League.

The 31-year-old is in his second season overseas after leaving North America in 2023 to join EHC Kloten in Switzerland's National League. After one season in Switzerland, Beaulieu decided to head to the KHL, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract for 2024-25 with Kazakh-based club Barys Astana.

If Beaulieu is able to have a strong season on both sides of the puck for Barys Astana, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him back in North America in 2025-26.