Bleeding Talent to the KHL

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2008 brought us the birth of Europe's top ranked hockey league - the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League), formed from the preexisting Russian Superleague. Almost immediately, KHL teams were able to lure over NHLers and get them signed to hefty contracts. The KHL and NHL have reached an agreement in principle, whereby each league honours the contracts of the other. However, there is still a lot of controversy surrounding what is becoming dubbed "KHL poaching" - the loss of quality NHL players to the KHL [...]

While I don't want to get into the whole uproar, I would like to point out that the NHL has been getting some of it's best talent out of Russia for quite some time. Vladislav Tretiak, Viacheslav Fetisov, Sergei Makarov, Igor Larionov, Darius Kasparaitis, Vladimir Konstantinov, Alexander Mogilny, Pavel Bure, and Sergei Fedorov were all Russian-born players. No hockey fan can deny the presence of current Russian talent like Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Semin, Alex Kovalev, Sergei Gonchar, Andrei Markov, and Evgeni Nabokov. Would the league be the same without them? I don't think so.

In the end, the onus is on the player to sign where he wants to play. The KHL cannot be blamed for trying to lure quality players to their league, especially when you consider the longstanding tradition of top-end Russian talent migrating to North America. For NHL fans like myself, however, it is impossible to ignore the loss of talent we are experiencing. Here is a condensed list of some NHLers who left to the KHL last summer:

Jaromir Jagr
Alexander Radulov
Marcel Hossa
Ladislav Nagy
Marcus Nilson
Chris Simon
Sergei Brylin
Andrei Zyuzin
Jozef Stumpel
Branko Radivojevic
Josef Vasicek
Karel Rachunek
Bryan Berard
Ray Emery

A future Hall of Famer, a few veterans who had skated in more than 500 NHL games, and a solid bunch of promising young players - all, with maybe one exception, who could have played in the NHL last season. Now take a look at who the NHL has lost so far this summer:

Sergei Fedorov
Viktor Kozlov
Sergei Zubov
Sandis Ozolinsh
Dmitri Kalinin
Richard Zednik
Radek Bonk
Ville Peltonen
Daniel Tjarnqvist
Joakim Lindstrom
Joe Motzko
Janis Sprukts
Martin Gerber
Mikael Tellqvist
Karri Ramo

Starting to feel a bit nervous? I don't blame you - over the last two years, these losses alone (and there have been more) amount to what could be a Stanley Cup contending team in the NHL. While some of them (Lindstrom, Motzko, Sprukts, Ramo) weren't getting the chances they deserved in the NHL, others are considerable losses. It now looks as if there won't be much the Detroit Red Wings or the NHL can do to stop Jiri Hudler from signing with the KHL. Next up may be Nikolai Zherdev, who is set to become a UFA within the next 24 hours if the New York Rangers decide not to sign him to the $3.9 million contract he was awarded in arbitration, and aren't able to trade him to a team who will. There has been some interest in Zherdev from the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him wind up in the KHL.

Without a doubt, many NHL teams would have loved to sign these players... So where is the problem? The huge contracts and lowered income taxes are surely not the only motivation for players to leave for the KHL - why can't NHL teams compete?

It is my opinion that the culprit lies in the salary cap. For one thing, teams are pressed so tightly against the cap ceiling that they can't afford to offer many high-priced, competitive contracts - even if they would be in the financial position to do so. Furthermore, the following season's salary cap is presently calculated using the current season's league revenues - which makes it an unknown, especially in tough economic times. The salary cap/floor was intended to achieve league parity, but so far it has done anything but that. As of this writing, the Chicago Blackhawks are the team with the highest payroll - just under $60 million. The Nashville Predators are the team with the lowest payroll, at two thirds of that - just over $40 million. Does that sound like parity?

But while it's easy to gripe about the cap, solutions are harder to come by. I have read around and done my best to come up with a few ideas for potential answers to the problem... which one do you like best?

1 - Change the salary cap by making it no longer based on league revenue, so that tough economic times and lowered ticket sales won't mean a diluted talent pool, which would further diminish revenues.

2 - Allow teams to go over the cap, but increase the percentage of revenues that team must share if they do. This would give big market teams the ability to offer big contracts, while even further helping the smaller market clubs.

3 - Get clubs out of small markets where revenue is low, unstable, and dependant on other franchises. This would help increase revenues league-wide, possibly circumventing some of the cap's negative risks.

4 - Introduce cap discounts to teams who sign homegrown players. In other words, if a team is renegotiating a contract with a player they originally drafted, a discount of somewhere between 20-40% could be applied to that player's cap hit. This option would let teams retain talent that they have developed, while still allowing them to be active on the free agent market.

So what do you think? Feel free to let me know which option you think is best, or suggest one of your own in the comments section. I like the 4th option most, as it puts more emphasis on solid drafting and organizational skills. Mind you, I think the 2nd option would be easiest to administer. Implementing both options could be a possibility as well...

- Josh Lind

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Trades, signings, and Heatley

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At times like these, it can be hard to believe that there's not any NHL hockey being played right now. Despite the offseason, the hockey world is indeed awake and abuzz with big-name player movement, a frenzied free-agent market, and enough rumours and speculation to drive anyone crazy [...]

Friday night, the Colorado Avalanche traded "Captain Canada" Ryan Smyth to the Los Angeles Kings. In return, the Avalanche got defencemen Tom Preissing and Kyle Quincey, as well as a fifth-round draft pick next year. The deal works out well for both teams, but the Kings get the better of it. While the Avalanche do need defence, what they're really missing are responsible, positional d-men, and a first or second power play quarterback to supplement John-Michael Liles - neither of which Preissing or Quincey have proven to be. Ryan Smyth, though prone to injury because of it, plays hard every shift. He has an intense drive to the net, and should be a great fit with Anze Kopitar in LA.

My hometown team, the Ottawa Senators, made quite a splash recently by signing sniper Alexei Kovalev from the rival Montreal Canadiens. Many Habs fans are upset with GM Bob Gainey for his free agent signings, and for letting players "walk" to rival teams. A few days before Kovalev was signed by the Sens, defenceman Mike Komisarek was grabbed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Alas, Habs fans always seem to have something to be upset about...

As for what Kovalev does for the Senators, that remains to be seen. He is an amazing puck-handler with tremendous skill, but there have been issues raised about both his attitude and his consistency. There is also the issue of where, and with whom, he will play. In Montreal, Kovalev was used on the top line most nights, and racked up more ice time per game than any other Canadiens forward. In Ottawa, he could possibly be used on the second line, or else play with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson, who would relieve some pressure off of Kovalev and maybe even inspire him to play more responsibly defensively. But much of this is dependant on the outcome of a situation I have declined to write about, until now. Dany Heatley.

About a month ago, media reports surfaced about Dany Heatley requesting a trade out of Ottawa. For all of the speculation that has occurred since, there is still not a clear picture of exactly why Heatley wants out. The consensus seems to be that it has much to do with coach Cory Clouston, and his technique of taking ice time away from players he feels aren't giving 100%. Heatley was apparently upset about spending what he felt was too much time on the second line under Clouston.
When Heatley requested the trade, he provided a list of teams he wanted to go to: the Kings, Rangers, Sharks, Red Wings, Blackhawks, Canucks, and Bruins. When the trade request and list of potential teams were mysteriously leaked, the story blew up. So close to draft day and free agency, many felt that Heatley was "handcuffing" Senators GM Bryan Murray, especially since the list was out. Heatley was publicly blasted by Leafs GM Brian Burke, and Kings assistant GM Ron Hextall.
But then, on the eve of July 1st, there was a deal. Only, the deal didn't work out. The proposed trade would have sent Heatley to the Edmonton Oilers for a return of Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner, and Ladislav Smid. Heatley, however, declined to waive the no-movement clause in his contract...after demanding a trade. Sure Edmonton was never on Heatley's list, but the whole thing was a real blow to the Senators organization, not to mention the three Edmonton players who are now stuck where they are apparently not wanted.

Presently, rumours indicate that the Oilers may still be in the running for Heatley, as it has been speculated that he may waive the NMC after all. The Columbus Blue Jackets, another team that wasn't on Heatley's list, are also rumoured to be trying to land him. Of the teams on the list, only the San Jose Sharks seem to be a possible destination, though I think it unlikely.
Others think Heatley will remain a Senator.

In other NHL news, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke signed another defenceman, Francois Beauchemin. Beauchemin played under Burke for the Anaheim Ducks, helping the team win the Stanley Cup in 2007.

Other notables were Rick Nash agreeing to a long-term deal keeping him in Columbus, and Ryan Clowe signing on in San Jose for another four years.

Check back soon for news about the Free Agent situation in Chicago, and more signings!

- Josh Lind

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