Whilst some will look at this as a cash grab, you have to remember that Hockey in Europe is a very different beast to the NHL, especially where finances are concerned.
The vast majority of clubs do not have millionaire/billionaire owners bankrolling the team like the NHL clubs. They survive on sponsorship, gate receipts and merchandise, all of which are very heavily influenced by the product on the ice, if you have a superstar player that you have developed and the fans have grown up with then all three of these things take a big upswing, which can mean the difference between and club surviving or going down the toilet.
To suddenly lose that ticket to draw the fans and sponsors in can be expensive and you need to replace that income until you can find another draw. Whilst many like to think of the European leagues as nothing more than a feeder system for new players and a retirement fund for old players, it does need cash to survive and cannot do that by just giving away its top players.
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