FanHouse KHL

Just when you thought this battle between the KHL and NHL had more posturing than a presidential campaign and enough useless press releases to furnish the cages at your local ASPCA, the Nashville Predators have out done everyone. Today they released their entry for the world renowned 'Most Useless Press Release of the Century' competition. Despite the infancy of the current century, the Predators are still confident in their chances of winning.*

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that Alexander Radulov has been suspended indefinitely without pay for the 2008-09 season.

Radulov, 22, has one season remaining on his existing entry level contract. During the off-season, he signed a contract with a Russian KHL team in violation of his NHL contract.

So let me get this straight. You're suspending a player who isn't really yours anymore. I mean, technically he's under contract for your team, but he basically gave you the middle finger and hopped on a plane to Russia. So yeah, three months later you're suspending him. Awesome. And the Red Wings just now won the Stanley Cup, right?

But so continues the slow death march-type pace of this whole KHL vs. NHL cold war thingy. I imagine the press releases will keep coming and so will their uselessness. For this blogger, it's all reached critical mass. I'm getting pretty sick of all the bluster and posturing. I'm going to go watch football for a week or two before the NHL season starts. Someone come get me if something important happens, OK?


* - They didn't tell me that, but they might of if I had actually contacted them.

Another Summer Saturday, another belligerent press statement from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Yesterday, the LA Kings quietly announced the signing of two Russian prospects, center Viatcheslav Voinov and defenseman Andrei Loktionov, who spent last season playing in the Russian Super League. Earlier today, the KHL issued a statement declaring that both players were still under contract with their KHL clubs and that as a result, the KHL was abrogating the moratorium against signing players still under contract with NHL clubs -- with a proviso. Here's the translation, courtesy of the folks at Beyond the Blueshirts:

The Continental Hockey League strictly adhered to the unilaterally declared moratorium on the invitation of hockey players with operating contracts with clubs of the National Hockey League. The NHL has violated the agreement reached earlier in Zurich and on August 28th announced the completion of contracts with hockey players Andrei Loktionov and Vyatcheslav Voinov by the Los Angeles Kings. The specified players have operating contracts with KHL clubs Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl) and Traktor (Chelyabinsk), respectively.

In connection with this the KHL considers itself free of any obligations with respect to the observance of the earlier announced moratorium on the transfer of players. On September 6th at the headquarters of the International Ice Hockey Federation in Zurich a meeting will take place on this topic, after which the Continental Hockey League will define subsequent actions in relation to the National Hockey League.

Ah yes, it's a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I'm lounging around, checking email when all of a sudden a KHL press release pops up in my inbox with the latest posturing from them in their cold war with the NHL. All of a sudden, things are a bit chilly.

It's clear that these two organizations don't have a lot of love for each other, clearly not taking the Beatles' advice that 'all you need is love'. They have been fighting over the transfer of players for the past few months -- the same amount of time that the KHL has been an actual, existing organization. But remember, they have yet to actually play any hockey games. Nonetheless, they know who their main competition is when it comes to the top players and the KHL is refusing to back down to the Old Guard.

In the release that I received today by email, the KHL had sly course of action. The beginning of the headline reads "KHL Extending Moratorium on Transfer of Players from NHL..."

I thought to myself, 'wow, are they actually starting to get along?'

But when you assume things like I did, well, you know how that goes. The rest of the title told the story and I didn't even need to read the release itself. I had a good laugh when I saw the words "... Until First Violation by NHL" as the end of the title.

Clearly, this is a cold war that probably isn't going to end anytime soon -- at least not with little shots like that across the bow. If you're interested, the release in it's entirety is after the jump.

The Alexander Radulov scandal has certainly given us something interesting to talk about during a rather slow off-season. While we can understand why a semi-washed up Jaromir Jagr might want to play in the new KHL, it's hard to fathom why a guy like Radulov, with his best years yet to come, would want to flee the NHL early to join a league that has yet to play an actual game that counts.

Over at Russianprospects.com, Alexander opens up on his feelings about the whole matter in a very telling interview. This quote, regarding his possible suspension by the IIHF, certainly jumps up and smacks one in the face.

I can understand both sides. But the position of the Continental Hockey League has significantly more weight: NHL for 15 years brought young players from Europe, first and foremost from Russia. I think that it is time to end this. Simply put: time to stop robbing us!

Oh, the big bad EVIL NHL has been robbing poor Mother Russia blind like a highway robber! A single tear rolls down my cheek.

Radulov should very well understand the concept of PERSONAL CHOICE. Yes, those Russians playing in the NHL made a very personal choice to leave their home country and play in the NHL. Nobody forced Alexander Radulov to play with the Preds in the first place, or play in the Canadian Hockey League as a prospect. Nobody dragged Pavel Bure on a ball and chain to play with the Canucks, right? In fact, I distinctly recall Bure fleeing Russia because it was such a bad place to live and play.

I don't mind that Radulov wants to play at home, but spare us the Cold War rhetoric. kthx!

Boy, it must suck to be a Pittsburgh Penguins fan these days.

Consider: Last night you went to bed with the rumor that the team was ready to ship Evgeni Malkin to the LA Kings still dancing in your head. Today, you wake up and get confirmation that it was just a load of hooey.

But once you put that story aside, you see another. Except, unlike the last rumor, this one is based in cold, hard economic facts that could very well result in the team losing Malkin and getting nothing in return.

What's up now? Rick Westhead of the Toronto Star is reporting that several teams in the new Russian-sponsored Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) are ready to make Malkin the highest paid player in the world when his entry level contract with the Penguins expires next year. The figure: $12.5 million per year, roughly the equivalent of $15 million in the North America thanks to the fact that the Russians will let him draw his salary tax free.

What's worse, Westhead is also reporting that any KHL player who is signed away from an NHL club will not count against the team's salary cap. That's the sort of rule you only institute if you're preparing to go to war for players. Combine it all with the fact that there is no player transfer agreement at all in place between the NHL and Europe as a whole, and you have the distinct potential for all sorts of mischief.