The new Russian league (now known as the Continental Hockey League) has been a fall-back for mid-level players like Wade Dubielewicz, Bryce Lampman, Mike York, and Ray Emery, who have found that they have no place in the NHL this season (although I still think Dubie should have waited for July 1 to see if teams came calling). The new CHL also has a lot of money to offer players, but so far, the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Nikolai Zherdev have turned them down.
Alexander Radulov, however, wanted to return home, and this was his opportunity. He claims he called Nashville to tell them his intention, and they never returned his call, making it clear he wasn't needed there. I would assume the CHL also offered him more money then he would be getting in the last year of his entry-level contract. Maybe they also offered him the rumored Jaromir Jagr Special - a tax-free contract.
Radulov claims that Nashville won't be able to legally bring him back over, apparently because he never read this story on NHL.com about an agreement between the NHL and CHL to honor contracts made in the other league. However, the Radulov move might have been made before the deal was finalized.
If he does in fact have to come back, I think it's a lock that he will be traded from the Predators. Seeing as the Rangers have their own super-fast, incredibly-talented, enigmatic Russian winger, I say "No thanks," but I do know that this guy is a great player if given the chance, and he has an Ovechkin-like passion for the game. It's a shame we might not see it in North America anymore.
The one thing that's tough with this league, at least with Russian players, is it's impossible to separate the motivation of a bigger paycheck with the desire to play at home. Maybe Radulov just wanted to play in his home country. Who knows?
ReplyDeleteThe NHLPA is already in love with this league, and with good reason. The obvious reason is that it'll drive salaries up, but it's also going to end up being a great spot for people (Emery, Ray) to rehabilitate their images and show NHL teams they have something to offer. This thing could end up being good for the league as a whole, and I commend them for solving the potential problems before they start.
This is turning into a blog post in its own right. But how awesome would it be if the Russian champions and NHL champions faced off in a series to determine the world champion? It'd never happen, but it sounds pretty cool.