Slava Fetisov: Giant Hypocrite.

[number9 3,297]

Even the densest Russian hockey officials understand by now that if a Russian kid got drafted in top 5, or even top 40, he WILL be going to the NHL. Whatever they do. See Malkin, Eugeny, as an example.They can choose to burn bridges with him, or give their blessing and have him play for there national team and perhaps return to the KHL in the future. This idea that top players can be kept in Russia has been dead for at least a decade now. The current concern is that a lot of young prospects go to NA before they are ready, play in juniors and AHL, but very few make it to the NHL. So an ideal state of affairs from Russian standpoint would have been for the players to go to NHL after they mature, and incidentally, after they played a few years for the club that paid for their development costs and the club had a chance to make back that investment. That age would be somewhere between 25 and 28. How to get to this ideal is ... unclear, to put it mildly.

I'll take ur word for it. Regardless keeping players I think is a positive, I don't blame them

[sibiriak 84]

But if the NHL won't sign guys who do that then it's a non issue. The KHL wants to keep all Russians from the NHL until they're 28, but will sign a guy from the NHL on a RFA deal.

I keep trying to convey to you that under Russian labor law (originally written in the 1970s) there's no such thing as a RFA. Any employee can terminate any labor contract on his own initiative by giving the employer a 2 weeks notice. After that, legally, they become a UFA, and any NHL club can sign such a player because he is free from any contract obligations under Russia's own labor laws. So your scenario is meaningless from KHL standpoint. That is what Fetisov is trying to change.

[DickieDunn 2,571]

Fetisov said Russian players shouldn't have the option to play in the NHL until they are 28. That's not about contracts, it's about restricting their ability to choose where they play. At the same time, KHL clubs would be happy to sign someone from another country before they are 28.

[sibiriak 84]

Fetisov said Russian players shouldn't have the option to play in the NHL until they are 28. That's not about contracts, it's about restricting their ability to choose where they play. At the same time, KHL clubs would be happy to sign someone from another country before they are 28.

I listened to that interview in its entirety. Fetisov did not say this.

[jimmyemeryhunter 2,747]

I listened to that interview in its entirety. Fetisov did not say this.

From what I've read on the internet, fetisov seems to be walking an odd road on this whole thing, but honestly I trust your take on it more than I do writers just trying to get hits on their articles. And most of the time they're just using translation programs that are flawed anyway. So thanks for the insite.