Kin
New member
Corn Flake said:Frank E said:There are a few guys that I would have suspected might try to remain in the KHL...Kovalchuk and his forever deal certainly wasn't one of them.
EDIT: And I know it's just speculation at this point.
he was owed $11 million if 82 games were played this year, so $6.38 mil in cash based on 48 games if my math is right.
I have a hard time believing he won't come home for that.
Here's the reason why he might not:
http://deadspin.com/5974245/the-nhl-barely-dodged-a-putin+backed-russian-mutiny-but-the-league-might-not-be-out-of-the-woods-yet
But a series of tweets from the New York Post's Larry Brooks suggests that there's more to it. According to Brooks, Malkin, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, and Datsyuk were prepared to announce on Friday that they would remain in the KHL regardless of how the latest CBA discussions concluded. Brooks reported that Vladimir Putin himself guaranteed the four players $30 million each to stay. The NHLPA talked the big four out of that deal?presumably by guaranteeing them that labor peace would soon arrive, which it did?but the KHL hasn't quit yet. Malamud reported today that the energy kingpins who own Kovalchuk and Datsyuk's teams are presently preparing more tempting offers to keep them around. Maybe they'll get their own mines and refineries, or something?