Ilya Nikulin All Star Starter
Per James Mirtle, Nikulin received the most votes for Team Russia in the KHL All-Star game.
I wonder how he would look in a powder blue jersey?
I wonder how he would look in a powder blue jersey?
posted by The Falconer at
4:37 AM
6 Comments:
Don't do it to us Falconer. No need to get our hopes up again.
By
Anonymous, at 3:34 PM
The one player we do draft that is good can't come here because of oil money. It's a shame.
By
FrenchCatalogues, at 3:51 PM
That money isn't that good, it looks as if salaries are going to be cut across that league.
KHL may ask players for pay cut
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
SPORTSNET.CA --
Sources are telling Hockeycentral that Russia's Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is contemplating asking it's players to agree to a pay cut. The difficulties are the result of falling commodity prices that have impacted the cash flow of team owners.
One prominent agent said that while none of his clients have been asked to adjust their contracts yet, he is aware of the issues facing the league.
Another agent said that "in my opinion, asking for a paycut would definitely be a breach of contract".
If KHL players wanted to look at NHL options this season, they would first have to clear NHL waivers. Players in the KHL already under NHL contract, such as Alex Radulov who has a contract with Nashville, would be the property of that team.
This may convince some of these players to come back over, more sooner than later.
Don't give up yet!
By
spiker97, at 11:09 PM
Please excuse the Anonymous posting. While I like to read the blog here, it's my first post and I'd prefer not to use my Google ID. I'm not sure if I'll post again, so I don't feel like going to the trouble of coming up with another ID for one post.
I've spent time in the ex-USSR and can speak the language to reasonable degree (not fluent, but good enough for most things). One of the things that people in the USA simply do not understand, since few Americans have ever been over there, is that most people there don't want to leave. Ever. For any reason. I have suspected for years that Nikulin is such a person. He kept his options open by claiming in the summer that he wanted to come to Atlanta, but he couldn't come for another year for "personal reasons" which he refused to elaborate on. My gut feeling is that he will NEVER play in the NHL. It's not an anti-Atlanta thing. I think he just doesn't want to leave.
Having said that, I can tell you that Russians as a general rule are greedy and they love money. If the KHL really and truly does cut salaries, that might be enough to make Nikulin willing to leave. However, if DW low balls him (we have no idea what kind of offers he has made to Nikulin in the past) and tries to get him here on the same salary he pays guys like Boulton or Thorburn, well, even Nikulin might pass on that. I really think that if given a choice Nikulin would choose not to leave Russia, but money might pry him away. Would DW be willing to pay enough? I'm not optimistic based on his past history as GM. It could be that maybe I am reading Nikulin wrongly and maybe he really did have some temporary personal reason that kept him in the KHL for one more year or maybe DW simply made him low offers. I'd love to see Nikulin here, but if DW thinks he can get him here on the cheap, well, I don't see that happening, ever.
By
Anonymous, at 9:41 AM
re: low balling Nikulin
The Thrashers offer last summer would have been for less money than he makes in the KHL--because the CBA sets a ceiling on how much a team can offer on an entry level contract.
By
The Falconer, at 10:15 AM
I hate to say this, considering the situation the Thrashers find themselves in, but frankly, I don't want to see another Euro (especially a Russian at that) on the team for a while--It's hard enough to market this team in Atlanta; we don't need a Euro to make things doubly difficult, no matter how talented he is.
By
Anonymous, at 10:26 PM
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