Quote:
Originally Posted by Kaine
I don't care where he is from personally. I have no blinders for Russian's or any other place. What I have a problem with is the fact that those from other countries that have shown little to no intention of coming to NA in the past and a real possibility exist that they will remain to play in the league they are currently in. This is a problem with the KHL unfortunately, something that has to be taken into account when drafting. This is why for example, Russians that play in the CHL before the draft are often much more valued in the draft than those that have played in the KHL.
Again all the skill in the world means nothing if the player doesn't actually play for the team that drafted him.
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From my perspective, the KHL issue isn't so much that it doesn't vet the player properly, but that it gives the player an escape hatch.
Part of team's leverage in developing a young player in North America is that the players have limited options. Flames send you down to Abby and you don't want to report? Not many enticing options at hand.
But a player like Nichushkin could just say, eff it, it's not worth the extra work and I can go back and earn more and return to my comfort zone. I think this is partly what drove Cervenka to go back as well. It's a maturity issue, and probably one that is hard to gauge up front.