I'm not actually mad at all, just annoyed. You know the feeling you have when you walk through the door from work and your wife meets you in the foyer and just machine-guns you with grievances? That's the feeling I have when I try to sift through this cluster**** of a thread attempting to find pertinent information about Kuznetsov's plans for the upcoming season. It makes me want to impel myself.
OZ: If you were to compare yourself to a famous player, who would it be? Why?
EK: I can’t compare myself to any famous player because he’s already been playing, already accomplished something. I can only say who I admire, who I watch. I watch Malkin, Datsyuk, how they play, and try to do the same.
Guess what, both the guys Kuznetsov admires are true competitors who came over here because they wanted to compete at the highest level. Just not seeing that from this guy.
just saying "who gambled" and is losing at this point?? No ones fault but our own.
Come on people, who is losing?
What choice we had back in 2010? As far as i know no one but 3 players, who were picked after Kuz, have played in the NHL. Maybe Coyle and Etem next year also will make their debut with big teams. But my bet is on them playing in the AHL. So what scenario do you prefer - Kuz playing 3-4 years in KHL before coming over or Etem playing 2 years in WHL and then 1-2 years in AHL? What's the difference? I can't see why you think McPhee is losing.
I'm not actually mad at all, just annoyed. You know the feeling you have when you walk through the door from work and your wife meets you in the foyer and just machine-guns you with grievances? That's the feeling I have when I try to sift through this cluster**** of a thread attempting to find pertinent information about Kuznetsov's plans for the upcoming season. It makes me want to impel myself.
I hear you about the machine-guns. Tres irritating.
I must be the only Caps fan not mad over this. Good for him. He gets to stay home, provide for his family, and keeps the wife happy. He's super talented and such, but that is life.
I'm agreeing with you. He's pretty young and has so much going for him at home.
I can see him coming over after Sochi. 2015 He'll be 22 years old and have some money in the bank. A kid and another on the way. Probably won't have anything else to prove in the KHL and will be looking for a challenge. Who knows what the ELC $ will look like in 3 years? Likely higher than the current $900,000. OV will be 29 and still here until 2021.
OZ: If you were to compare yourself to a famous player, who would it be? Why?
EK: I can’t compare myself to any famous player because he’s already been playing, already accomplished something. I can only say who I admire, who I watch. I watch Malkin, Datsyuk, how they play, and try to do the same.
Guess what, both the guys Kuznetsov admires are true competitors who came over here because they wanted to compete at the highest level. Just not seeing that from this guy.
Well Datsyuk didn't come over until he was 23. Kuznetsov is 20 right now so...
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he's waiting out the CBA to see if rookie pay increases. Nobody's offered him more than one year that I've heard, and even in his quote he only committed to one year. If the CBA gets done quickly and rookie terms improve, I wouldn't be surprised to see a new Caps offer on the table, and I'm sure his NA agent is telling him that.
I wouldn't tend to expect the ELC system to change very much at all. Maybe the Wheeler/Schultz/Gregoire opt-out situations warrant looking at but that's a rights issue.
Kuznetsov scored the GWG in a 2-1 win to give Traktor a 2-0 series lead over Ak Bars.
Let’s start with the fact that all talks about Kuznetsov’s departure are inappropriate at the moment. I think, Zhenya, said what he said just so everybody will leave him alone. The guy needs to concentrate on the playoffs now: he wants to get as far as possible with Traktor, win something, to pay proper respect to his city and the club where he grew up. All those talks about his possible departure are only a distraction.
My opinion is – he has outgrown the level of the KHL and he needs to go across the ocean. Meanwhile, Tarasenko needs to play one more year with a team like SKA who has big goals in front of them, where you need to prove you’ve earned the right to be a leader. He also needs to play on the national team. Anyways, his game is not as spectacular as Zhenya’s right now though he’s not less talented.
dchesnokov: Not so fast on Kuznetsov staying in the #KHL...even after he said so. I will explain on PD. #Caps
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that he's waiting out the CBA to see if rookie pay increases. Nobody's offered him more than one year that I've heard, and even in his quote he only committed to one year. If the CBA gets done quickly and rookie terms improve, I wouldn't be surprised to see a new Caps offer on the table, and I'm sure his NA agent is telling him that.
I agree in that the CBA likely plays a part but more with there not being a CBA he doesn't want to say he is coming over and then have to deal with a work stoppage.
I also think with the Olympics in Russia in 2014 he either comes over for next season or not until '14'-15 because if I were him I would not risk coming over in an Olympic year and risk really struggling a possibly losing his spot on the team.
@Sk8, I also don't see much changing wrt the way rookies are handled (for lack of a better term). But it doesn't hurt to see.
@Millhaus, you could be right about the Olympics, but I also think he'd be the first to say (given other things he's said) that if he struggles in the NHL, he shouldn't be on the team. I definitely get the feeling that playing for Russia "at home" is very important to him.
I wouldn't tend to expect the ELC system to change very much at all. Maybe the Wheeler/Schultz/Gregoire opt-out situations warrant looking at but that's a rights issue.
Kuznetsov scored the GWG in a 2-1 win to give Traktor a 2-0 series lead over Ak Bars.
dchesnokov: Not so fast on Kuznetsov staying in the #KHL...even after he said so. I will explain on PD. #Caps
This is what I was getting at. I think there's a chance that he still comes, and I think the Caps brass will talk him up big time this summer.
Sure he might take the 6-7 he might get for a season or two more in the KHL, but at some time, he'll come over.
note, Chesnokov's stuff is up in the puck daddy radio. I can't listen to it at work, I'll try to get it tonight, but if someone has the highlights, I imagine it's more of what Niko is saying.
Says Kuznetsov's agent came on the radio in Russia and backpedaled a bit about his decision, saying nothing was decided yet. Also that the KHL didn't publish the original interview as much as they said they would.
Says he thinks the decision comes down to both money and stability (didn't outright say CBA was an issue but that's my conclusion)
Says he thinks Kuznetsov's personality means he still wants the NHL, and that the Radulov situation may be suggesting that he'll get a chance to come over even if it's not right away, that he'll still be welcome and that staying in the KHL for now isn't closing any doors long term.
Ok so I think there are 2 big underlying factors for his coming over.
1. If the WP post article saying our struggles may be one of the reasons why he isn't (what we thought at the time) is true, than a strong playoff run is important.
2. On the other end, his KHL team having a strong playoff run is equally important. Hopefully he'll want more competition or something.
Anton Burdasov(#71) on Traktor looks like a phenomenal skater. He's only 20, isn't that the age of being able to sign without being drafted?
He's a '91 so, yes, but I think he needs at least another year in the KHL in a heavier role to warrant a look (unless he's willing to play in the AHL).
(starts @ 3:14)
