It's been an interesting few days in the continuing standoff between the National Hockey League and Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. Let's recap some events:- With little fanfare in the North American press, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman traveled to Europe last week to meet with KHL officials to begin negotiations over a new player transfer agreement. KHL President Alexander Medvedev has subsequently said that he presented a formula to determine compensation based on a player's age, how high he was picked in the draft and other "variable" factors.
- While these negotiations were going on, erstwhile Nashville Predators winger Alexander Radulov sat down with the Russian press and let loose with fusillade that would warm the heart of the most ardent Russian nationalist, accusing the NHL of "robbing" Russia of hockey talent since the end of the Cold War.
- On a Summer Saturday when hardly anyone would be paying attention, the folks running the KHL thought it was important for their North American-based press service to issue a news release announcing that the league was "unilaterally" extending its moratorium on signing NHL players, with the proviso that it would be terminated if and when the NHL violated the agreement.
- On Monday evening, the Globe and Mail reported that Radulov's KHL team, Salavat Ufa, had made a compensation offer in exchange for the winger, one that the NHL rejected out of hand. Further, the NHL reiterated its position that there would be no international transfer agreement until Radulov's contract with Nashville was honored.
We already know that this week the IIHF is expected to hand down a determination of the contract status of Radulov and five other players whose contracts are in dispute, including Nikita Filatov, Thomas Mojzis, Jason Krog, Fedor Fedorov and Phoenix Coyotes dratee Viktor Tikhonov.
In international hockey circles, it's widely thought that the inclusion of the other five players in addition to Radulov was the IIHF's attempt to appear evenhanded in the dispute between the two parties. However, in light of the KHL's Saturday announcement, I'm guessing they're anticipating that at least one of the five disputes involving the players other than Radulov will be decided in the its favor.
In that case, it will be up to the NHL to decide whether to abide by the IIHF ruling and act against the interest of its member clubs or decide to defy a process it has already invested itself in. If it decides the latter course, I don't doubt that the KHL will accuse the NHL of violating the terms of the signing moratorium and declare it to be null and void.
As for Radulov, I'm also guessing that Salavat Ufa and the KHL front office have already resigned themselves to a negative ruling from the IIHF, yet are determined to keep him in Russia no matter what the IIHF may rule.
The bottom line: Continued conflict between the two leagues, a conflict that will prevent the establishment of a player transfer agreement for the forseeable future.
