Ovechkin and the RSL--Contracts

[Foppa_Rules]

Isn't there a contract between the NHL and the Superleague expiring soon?? What would that mean for Ovechkin's contract with Dynamo and any contract he might sign with an NHL club next year? He has 1 more year left on his contract with Dynamo after this year so does anybody know if he can leave that contract to play in the NHL, barring a lockout, or does he have to stay there? It looks like the Russians are complicating matters in the Zherdev situation so how do we know they won't do that with Ovechkin? Any links about the RSL and NHL contract? Thanx in advance!!

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[Deleted member 3032]

Isn't there a contract between the NHL and the Superleague expiring soon?? What would that mean for Ovechkin's contract with Dynamo and any contract he might sign with an NHL club next year? He has 1 more year left on his contract with Dynamo after this year so does anybody know if he can leave that contract to play in the NHL, barring a lockout, or does he have to stay there? It looks like the Russians are complicating matters in the Zherdev situation so how do we know they won't do that with Ovechkin? Any links about the RSL and NHL contract? Thanx in advance!!

Although I'm not an expert on this matter, the way I see it is this. The CBA doesn't expire until September, and I would imagine that the NHL/IIHF agreement doesn't end until September, too. That means that would give any time who drafts Ovechkin (or any other euro player for that matter) until the usual deadline (I think around mid-July) to sign Ovechkin to an NHL contract.

I'm not sure thought if he could then, in the case of a lockout, still play in Russia if he wanted, and then once a new CBA is in place he could go back to the NHL. The one thing I'm unsure of is if his contract would fall under the old IIHF agreement if he signs before that one is over, or if the IIHF agreement ends and that makes it impossible for him to leave the country until there is another IIHF agreement in place (unless his Russia team is feeling really nice).

At the very least, if the IIHF does end anytime after the draft, it should give that team that long to sign Ovechkin and bring him over, so long as his Russia team doesn't try to play any games like they did with Svitov and Chistov.

 

[McThome]

Although I'm not an expert on this matter, the way I see it is this. The CBA doesn't expire until September, and I would imagine that the NHL/IIHF agreement doesn't end until September, too. That means that would give any time who drafts Ovechkin (or any other euro player for that matter) until the usual deadline (I think around mid-July) to sign Ovechkin to an NHL contract.

I'm not sure thought if he could then, in the case of a lockout, still play in Russia if he wanted, and then once a new CBA is in place he could go back to the NHL. The one thing I'm unsure of is if his contract would fall under the old IIHF agreement if he signs before that one is over, or if the IIHF agreement ends and that makes it impossible for him to leave the country until there is another IIHF agreement in place (unless his Russia team is feeling really nice).

At the very least, if the IIHF does end anytime after the draft, it should give that team that long to sign Ovechkin and bring him over, so long as his Russia team doesn't try to play any games like they did with Svitov and Chistov.

To me it seems like perhaps Russia is sick of seeing all their talent go over to North America and are prehaps trying to keep them as long as they possibly can through what ever means. They are trying to really make the RSL better and better with bigger names and salaries (I think they have dreams of rivaling the NHL as the best league in the world some day).