The Puck Stops Here
Next entry: The Draft
Previous entry: Steve Yzerman's Hall Of Fame Case
Sergei Fedorov Signs In The KHL
by PuckStopsHere on 06/26/09 at 01:36 AM ET
Comments (10)
I am going to interrupt the Hall of Fame profiles to discuss a trend that is not a good one for the NHL. Increasingly, some of the marquis names in the NHL are choosing to play in Europe at the tail end of their careers. A big reason for this is the salary cap. They find that they can get paid more to play in Europe than in the NHL as teams would rather fill their roster with young players who might out-perform their contracts instead of playing some of the future Hall of Fame players in the league.
The most recent example is Sergei Fedorov signing in Russia with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. He joins Jaromir Jagr in the KHL - although many rumors have Jagr returning to the NHL this summer. Reportedly, Fedorov will make around $3.8 million US for two seasons. He will be a teammate of his brother Fedor.
Sergei Fedorov is clearly an NHL capable player. Fedorov draws fans to see him more than most equivalent level players because he has been such a successful player. The NHL should be able to find a structure that makes room for its aging stars that are still NHL talents and still want to play.
It is not only the KHL that has poached such players. Ed Belfour played his final season in Sweden.
It is inevitable that a salary cap will create a situation where some players can get paid more than the NHL would afford them by playing elsewhere. The most significant group of these players is the NHL’s aging future Hall of Famers. To a rival league a Fedorov or a Jagr or a Belfour is a huge draw. He will be the most famous player in the league and can be paid as such. To an NHL team with salary cap issues, it may only pay to bring back an aging star if he accepts a significant pay cut. It is easy to see why the European option looks attractive given what the NHL offers at that point.
Many fans appreciate seeing future Hall of Fame players in the twilight of their careers. They can look at them and remember the player’s successes and tell stories to younger fans of how good he was. This is being lost in the NHL when these older players depart to other leagues. It is one example where the cost cutting of the salary cap hurts the league as a whole.
Filed in: | The Puck Stops Here | Permalink
Tags: Ed+Belfour, Jaromir+Jagr, Sergei+Fedorov,
Comments
That fedor federov guy was a complete bust in the NHL. As for S.Fedorov he will indeed be a future hall of famer.
And for Jagr part i will pray that u r true. It would be amazing to see guys like Jagr returning to NHL, they belong here.
Posted by Oilers Rock from Edmonton, Alberta on 06/26/09 at 12:50 AM ET
The Hurricane, agree with the B(a)etman point u made. But i disagree with the point teams like STL and PHX sucking. because of the salary cap its not like few teams dominating the NHL anymore. STL had an amazing run to make plyoffs, pheonix had a 4-5 game winning streak. teams like Bluejkets, pens and hawks are way more competitive than last decade or compared to pre lockout.
Posted by Oilers Rock from The City of Champions on 06/26/09 at 01:05 AM ET
Would it make sense to weight a player’s contribution to his team’s salary cap by the player’s age?
Posted by Cat from Fairfax, VA on 06/26/09 at 01:29 AM ET
They find that they can get paid more to play in Europe than in the NHL as teams would rather fill their roster with young players who might out-perform their contracts instead of playing some of the future Hall of Fame players in the league.
The most recent example is Sergei Fedorov signing in Russia with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Quick, someone tell Sergei that he passed TPSH’s stringent Hall of Fame litmus test...I’m sure the sheer honor of it will have him RUNNING back to the NHL…
Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 06/26/09 at 06:37 AM ET
I think this is a great thing. Many players leave and are completely heralded by the fans, especially when the destination is close to their origin.
When the players arrive, fans say there is a star from the NHL. If nothing else, it still promotes the league. Sure, the KHL probably spins it as proof of their superiority, but surely these players get more respect there than they do here.
Another plus: it puts pressure on the NHL and the administration of the league to be on top of their game. Potentially, fans could say I’m tired of this or that, and I’m more interested in hockey than this specific league.
It should also pressure the NHL to actually make money and raise the salary cap.
Although, I dread the NHL giving Phoenix the “Penguins Treatment”.
Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 06/26/09 at 06:53 AM ET
“Many fans appreciate seeing future Hall of Fame players in the twilight of their careers. They can look at them and remember the player’s successes and tell stories to younger fans of how good he was.”
As a Rangers fan I can’t tell you how painful that sentence looks.
“Ed Belfour played his final season in Sweden.”
You say that as though it were a bad thing.
Posted by blurt on 06/26/09 at 07:52 AM ET
Since a contract signed by a player 35 years or older will count against the cap even if he retires, it might be a good idea to halve the cap hits of those players. That’ll keep some of the usable veterans in the league and allow for salary cap room to development of youth as well. That requires a new CBA, of course.
Then again, I don’t see it as a serious problem that players like Fedorov get a chance to finish careers in their home country. It isn’t a mass exodus from North America.
Posted by Moq from Denmark on 06/26/09 at 10:11 AM ET
TPSH,
The impact (be it positive or negative) of aging veterans migrating from the NHL at the end of their careers depends on how long a view you take.
In a 30 team NHL prior to the salary cap, it became the norm that aging veterans would hang on for an extra few seasons to pad their stats and pick up a cheque. But go back to the early 1980s and you’ll see that many veterans were flushed out of the league with ruthless efficiency as young talent pushed their way to the fore. Go back a few years before that, and you’ll see many veterans finished out their careers with a brief stint in the WHA. Go back a few more years to the Original Six, and you’ll see the same thing with careers ending in the AHL or the CHL.
The “new normal” that you complain about is arguably more a return to the established norm.
Consider the benefits of this trade off: Aging veterans with expired best before dates find roster spots overseas while the top younger talents from those lands come to play in the NHL during their peak years. And this is bad for the North American game… how?
Posted by Matthew McCallum from Redding, California on 06/26/09 at 03:32 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.
Most Recent Blog Posts
The Flip Side To Best Teams Pre-Lockout
Future Hall Of Famer Brendan Shanahan Retires
About The Puck Stops Here
The Puck Stops Here was founded during the 2004/05 lockout as a place to rant about hockey. The original site contains over 1000 posts, some of which were also published on FoxSports.com.
Who am I?
A diehard hockey fan.
Why am I blogging?
I want to.
Why are you reading it?
???
Email:
Donate to Kukla’s Korner
Or helps on the GLOBAL scale. Let’s face it, it isn’t like the US and CANADA are creating the best of the best. Sure you have Cindy Crosby, but the Europeans are creating the best of the best in all around skill players.
The NHL reaches further than the N suggests. Really, there is no N to the NHL. What Nation do they really speak of?
I’d rather watch the Swedish Elite or Moscow Dynamo over the best Phoenix or St. Louis any day of the week.
Blame Gary....he’s the idiot without the clue.
Posted by The Hurricane on 06/26/09 at 12:49 AM ET