Kukla's Korner Hockey
Report: It sounds like Semyon Varlamov’s leaving the NHL
by George Malik on 06/29/11 at 12:50 PM ET
Comments (2)
Not good news, per Yahoo Sports’ Dmitry Cheskonov on Twitter:
Varlamov’s Russian agent tells @plysenkov that Semyon picked the KHL. Didn’t name the club.
...
More details about Varlamov and the deal will be on Puck Daddy.
...
It is still unclear if Varlamov will sign with Lokomotiv or SKA of the KHL because SKA also filed an official complaint with the League.
I’ve been reading about the storyline in the Russian press, and after stating the obvious—at least half a dozen NHL teams would have lined up to trade for Varlamov—Lokomotiv Yaroslavl owns Varlamov’s rights and isn’t inclined to trade them, but as SKA St. Petersburg is both the KHL’s biggest-market club and has KHL president Alex Medvedev running its ship, SKA gets what it wants—and they want to make the biggest free-agent splash by plucking an NHL’er away from the league to play for Vladimir Putin’s team and Gazprom Export’s flagship franchise every summer.
Update: Via NHLGossip on Twitter, the Washignton Post’s Katie Carrera notes that Varlamov is a restricted free agent, which means that the NHL will not simply allow the KHL to poach a player who still technically “belongs” to the Capitals.
Update #2: here’s Dmitry Chesnokov’s Puck Daddy post.
Filed in: | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
Maybe Varlamov should put in a call to Nabokov before he makes a firm decision?
Posted by Da lil Guy from Ottawa on 06/29/11 at 02:41 PM ET
Add a Comment
Please limit embedded image or media size to 575 pixels wide.
Add your own avatar by joining Kukla's Korner, or logging in and uploading one in your member control panel.
Captchas bug you? Join KK or log in and you won't have to bother.
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Most Recent Blog Posts
Video- The Relationship Between Brodeur And Kovalchuk
Video- “Lof Of Good Guys In Hockey”
It Will Be The New Jersey Devils Against The Los Angeles Kings In The 2012 Stanley Cup Final
Open Post- Rangers/Devils Game 6 Eastern Conference Finals
About KK Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Make extra cash while playing online poker. Rakeback is free and comes with rake races.
Kukla’s Korner is always a free service for readers, but it costs some money to maintain. If you’re ever in a position to donate a few dollars to help out, we’d be very appreciative.
Lysenkov’s like the Russian Bob McKenzie, isn’t he?
This is sort of the danger with Washington’s drafting strategy since the lockout—pick the Russian guy who should have been a top-5 pick but wasn’t because he was Russian. They’ve been betting these guys would stay on this side of the pond due to OV effect, but I guess that won’t be the case with Varlamov.
Who’s to say Orlov doesn’t get bored with playing in Hershey after 20 more games? Or that Kuznetsov comes over here at all?
Posted by steviesteve on 06/29/11 at 02:00 PM ET