The Kontinental League is poised to make a huge offer to future
unrestricted free agent Ilya Kovalchuk this summer, while quietly
working with the NHL to come to an agreement that would prevent it
from poaching players who are under contract.
KHL president Alexander Medvedev said in an interview with
THN.com and ESPN.com Saturday morning that SKA St. Petersburg,
which is sponsored by the Gazprom company of which Medvedev is
deputy chairman, will make an offer better than any NHL team can
under the current CBA when Kovalchuk's contract expires. If that
happens, it will mark the first time the KHL has managed to lure a
superstar player from the NHL in his prime.
Kovalchuk is due to become an unrestricted free agent July 1
and depending on where the salary cap is set, the maximum he could
be offered would be about $11 million per season. Medvedev said
that with the better tax structure in Russia for Russian citizens,
St. Petersburg will be in a position to make Kovalchuk richer.
"The difference between 45 percent taxes and 13 percent taxes
is substantial," Medvedev said. "We could top that (NHL) money he
would receive by a substantial sum. He will decide. We are going to
negotiate with him and his agents what kind of agreement could be
reached."
Now that would be considered tampering if Medvedev were
involved in the NHL because Kovalchuk is still under contract to
the New Jersey Devils. The relationship between the NHL and KHL has
deteriorated because there is no transfer agreement between the NHL
and the European hockey federations and each has accused the other
of poaching players who are still under contract.
And it does work both ways. Players such as Alexander Radulov
and Jiri Hudler have jumped to the KHL, but the KHL is just as
adamant that stars such as Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin were
contractually tied to the KHL before they jumped to the NHL. This
past season, Bryce Lampman left the KHL while still under contract
to sign with the St. Louis Blues organization.
But that could all change in the not-too-distant future.
Medvedev and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman have met on four
occasions during the Olympics and both sides say there have been
substantive talks. Medvedev has in the past said there have been
positive discussions, but the league has had a far different and
more negative view. This time, however, even people with the league
described the meetings as "good dialogue."
If there were an agreement reached, it would likely be
between just the NHL and KHL and would be exclusive of the
International Ice Hockey Federation.
The issue of NHL players taking part in the 2014 Olympics in
Sochi came up several times, but the NHL remains non-committal and
likely won't decide until a new collective bargaining agreement is
reached after the 2011-12 season. But it's clear Medvedev wants the
best players in the world in his country in four years.
Medvedev said that both sides have agreed their differences
on contractual issues will be put aside when it comes to Olympic
participation.
"I'm assured that is not just a nice statement by Gary
Bettman, it's a policy we will pursue," Medvedev said. "We will do
everything from our side in our control to get the NHL to take the
position that it will go. You can't change the philosophy
overnight, but at least we've had constructive discussions. We
believe it is good to put aside the conflicting situations we've
had in the past."
That said, Medvedev adamantly stated that Ovechkin, Malkin
and Kovalchuk will all be playing in Sochi, despite the fact
Ovechkin and Malkin will be under contract to NHL. And if any or
all of them decided to leave the NHL to play in the KHL that
season, Medvedev was non-committal.
"If such a nightmare scenario will prevail, I don't know how
it will be settled, but I rest assured that these guys will play in
(the Olympics)," Medvedev said. "They have said that nobody can
forbid them to play for their own country in the Olympics."
Ken Campbell is in Vancouver covering the Olympic hockey
tournaments for THN.com. Read his other reports
HERE.
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