Ilya Kovalchuk's retirement from the New Jersey Devils sent shock waves through the NHL.
The idea of a highly-paid superstar choosing to leave North America and joining an inferior league in the prime of his career seemed laughable just a few days ago, but it's now a realistic possibility.
But even as the first Russian superstar to leave the NHL in the prime of his career and sign with a KHL team, per Dmitry Chesnokov, Kovalchuk's departure from North America is more of a unique situation rather than the beginning of a movement of Russian players choosing to take their talents to the KHL.
The proof is in the number of Russian stars who have recently decided to re-sign with NHL teams instead of becoming a free agent and exploring the opportunity to return home.
Even the veterans such as Pavel Datsyuk and Sergei Gonchar who played in the KHL during the lockout and are nearing the final stage of their brilliant careers chose to remain in North America.
Player
Team
Contract Signed
Prior FA Status
Evgeni Malkin
PIT
8 years, $76 million
UFA in 2014
Pavel Datsyuk
DET
3 years, $22.5 million
UFA in 201 ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Nicholas Goss
Why Ilya Kovalchuk Won’t Be a Trendsetter for Russian Stars
July 15th, 2013 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »
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