Family Reportedly Convinced Canadian Player to Back Out of Lucrative Deal
PUBLICATION
TJ Tucker
August 6, 2023 (7:02 PM)
Hockey players don't need to play in the NHL to make very good money. Many with little to no NHL experience have had lucrative careers in Europe and Russia, including several from Canada and the United States. However, according to a new report, a Canadian player who had become a fan favourite in the Russian city of Omsk left very good money on the table to get out his contract. The team says his family convinced him to do so.
Corban Knight, who hails from British Columbia, Canada, has decided to cancel his lucrative deal with Omsk Avangard of the KHL. Knight had played there for the past three seasons, and won a Gagarin Cup with the team while putting up great offensive numbers and endearing himself to fans. Avangard's GM has since said Knight made the call for personal reasons.
"In the summer, Knight had a change in his personal life, he got married, and then before the start of training camp he notified us that he intends to terminate his contract unilaterally," are the words of Avangard general manager Anton Kuryanov that tear the heart of Omsk fans. - "We've had a series of talks with the player and his agent. We see no point in forcing anyone to play for Avangard, especially since the hockey player has repeatedly emphasized that his decision is final." - Championat.com According to Championat, Kuryanov went on to explain that Knight's wife objected to him playing in Russia due to religious reasons.
"Kuryanov especially emphasized that Corban's verdict was influenced by his wife. She strictly adheres to Christian values and works in the Canadian organization "Athletes in Action", assisting athletes in learning about religious issues. Her beliefs prevented her from traveling to Russia in the current time, and that was the deciding factor. His father Jack, a former pastor of a Baptist church, also had some influence on the hockey player." - - Championat.com Knight's salary with Omsk last season was 55 million Rubles. At the time, it was worth close to $770,000 USD. KHL contracts often include performance bonuses that don't count towards the team's salary cap, nor are they often made public. $770k puts Knight around the minimum pay for the NHL, where he played just 52 games over the years with Calgary, Florida and Philadelphia. There are already reports that Knight has interest from SC Bern, a team in Swtizerland's National League where players generally make between $100,000 and $300,000 USD per season.
| POLL |
AOUT 6 | 107 ANSWERS Family Reportedly Convinced Canadian Player to Back Out of Lucrative Deal Would you play in Russia at this time for $700K? |
| Yes | 40 | 37.4 % |
| No | 63 | 58.9 % |
| Not sure | 4 | 3.7 % |
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