Written by Pat Iverson at SB Nation.com
One benefactor of the NHL’s decision to skip the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea might be the KHL.
Russia’s top hockey league has become a real option for NHL free agents and prospects, particularly for Russian-born players.
In light of the NHL’s announcement this week, Russian Ice Hockey Federation board chairman Arkady Rotenberg released a statement on Wednesday encouraging Russian players to come home to roost in the KHL in 2018:
We accept the National Hockey League’s decision. At the moment, we are continuing our World Championship and Olympic Games preparations. We have a two-year plan for the Olympics and we are sticking to it. Now, we have two tasks. The first is to keep KHL players in Russia instead of moving to the NHL in the summer. The second task is to bring Russian players home from the NHL if their contract is expiring. In Russia, all the necessary facilities for their future development are in place.
Maybe, some players who already play overseas will still want to compete at the Olympics. Such a decision would be deserving of respect. The Russian Ice Hockey Federation will do everything possible in order to help players with legal issues surrounding their national team commitment.
This opens the door for an NHL free-agent exodus this offseason. Here’s a brief list of pending NHL UFAs and RFAs who could leave for the KHL next season and have a good chance at making the Russian Olympic team.
- Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens
- Alexander Radulov, Montreal Canadiens
- Dmitry Kulikov, Buffalo Sabres
- Evgeny Kuznetsov, Washington Capitals
- Dmitry Orlov, Washington Capitals
- Nikita Tryamkin, Vancouver Canucks
And that doesn’t even take into account the unrestricted free agents for other countries who might consider a one-year KHL deal so they can play in South Korea. Off the top of our heads, here are some names to consider:
- Kevin Shattenkirk, Washington Capitals
- T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals
- Ben Bishop, Los Angeles Kings
- Jaromir Jagr, Florida Panthers
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