Evgeny Kuznetzov shocked the hockey world when he signed overseas earlier this off-season and joined SKA St. Petersburg, but how did SKA have the money to sign the long time NHL player? It turns out they had the money because a sacrifice was made by one of Kuznetsov's teammates.
According to James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now, Arseni Gritsyuk one of Kuznetsov's teammates took quite a significant pay cut in order for SKA to have the money.
Gritsyuk had to agree to a salary reduction in order to make the money work. In fact, in doing so, he left the equivalent of $500,000 USD on the table.
That is commitment. The fact that the KHL has a rule that you can terminate and restructure contracts to make the money work also helps, but leaving that amount of money on the table to have your team sign someone who should be a top player is the epitome of a �team first player'
Do you think the NHL should adopt something like this? I think it could add a layer of complexity to dressing rooms, but also, allow players to prove if they really value winning over money.
Source - New Jersey Hockey Now
PROSPECTSDevils Arseni Gritsyuk Makes Big Sacrifice to Benefit KHL Club
POLL | ||
11 AOUT | 37 ANSWERS The real reason Evgeny Kuznetsov was able to sign overseas has been revealed Do you think the NHL should adopt the rule that let Evgeny Kuznetsov sign with SKA | ||
Yes | 14 | 37.8 % |
No | 12 | 32.4 % |
It's an interesting idea | 11 | 29.7 % |
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