news: a nikulin, f fedorov, KHL payrolls

[fzusher]

Popped up to the Russian allhockey.ru to see if there\'s word there on the \'Bulin rumor noted in another thread. Didn\'t find anything on that, but found a couple of other interesting things

http://allhockey.ru/news/37009/

A list of KHL overall player payrolls, by team, in Rubles.

To calculate, as of today\'s exchange rate:

100,000,000 Rubles = 3,868,322.35 $
1,000,000 $ = 25,871,800 Rubles

The highest payroll is Lokomotiv Yaroslavl\'s, at just under 18.65M.

The top 9 teams are in the 14.5M - 18.65M range; the 4 middle teams are in the 11.26M - 12.84M range; the bottom 11 are in the 4.3M - 9.366M range. The bottom team, with a 4.3M annual player payroll, is Khimik Voskresensk.

This should put the so-called Russian threat in perspective ...


http://www.allhockey.ru/news/37071/

Reports Lou Lamoriello has told Fedor Fedorov that he won\'t make the Devils top-12 forwards and can therefore look for another team.


http://www.allhockey.ru/news/37056/

The big one for me as an Alex Nikulin owner. Bad news. This is a long and irate litany from the kid.

The essence:

The team told Nikulin when he was cut they weren\'t happy with the results of his physicals, but later told his agent that the coach had decided early on that Nikulin wasn\'t in his plans. He was only played on tough-guy 4th lines during pre-season games.

He has reported to the AHL for training but has asked Murray for a trade and told him that he will return to the KHL if he is not traded within the next few weeks. He also noted in the interview that he may still return to Russia even if traded should he feel, or is given the sense from his new team, that he won\'t be able to crack the lineup this season. He says explicitly that if he\'s traded, for example, to the Red Wings, he\'ll return to Russia immediately because they\'re too stacked for him to crack the lineup. He\'d rather be dealt to a weaker team, and is willing to go down to the AHL in such a team if assured he\'d get called up later in the season, but he feels he is ready now and isn\'t willing to spend the whole season in the minors. It seems he was made to understand this would be his lot in Ottawa.

I would have quietly shopped him but I am leaving tomorrow morning for the east coast and have no time for that. you probably should, unless you believe in Murray\'s commitment to his players and ability to work out trades ... I don\'t. He\'s no Gainey (see how he handled the not dissimilar Grabovsky and Locke situations), Holland, Lamorielo etc. Though maybe if he realizes that building up a reputation as a stand up GM like those I just named would help him get FAs at a bit of a discount on the summer market he might ...

[fzusher]

A more detailed report on the Fedorov situation, in English:

http://njmg.typepad.com/devilsblog/2...v-done-as.html

[jL67s]

Nikulin writes (or used to write) a blog for OttawaSenators.com, and this was his post yesterday:

Goodbye, Ottawa.
October 1, 2008.

I will say right away that if I’m going back to Russia, it’s only to play for the CSKA. When I’d be able to join the team I don’t know. Maybe in about two weeks, but perhaps more time needs to pass.

One thing is clear: I will not be playing for Ottawa. A lot of stuff’s happened during this time. Ilja Zubov and I were sent down to the farm, prior to which I was told they were unsatisfied with the results of my tests. That was rather strange to hear, because I improved all my results from last year. And anyway, tests are one thing; playing the game is another. They didn’t give me a chance to play in the exhibition games. But did give that chance to Ilja Zubov. Put him on the fourth line with the tough guys—try and prove yourself there. I don’t even know what’s better; maybe, like in my case, to never take to the ice at all. And could the tests really matter that much? Especially given the fact I played on the big team last season, having worse conditioning status than I do now. Plus, players with better results were sent down. So it’s not just the tests.

Only afterwards did it become known that the coach just doesn’t see me on his team. Just doesn’t see me there, and that’s it. He didn’t explain anything to me personally, my agent was told of this, but that’s the official version. That seems a lot more like the truth, but I still don’t understand why I couldn’t have been given just one chance, why I was simply crossed out.

So, I’ve asked for a trade, and the General Manager of the Senators Bryan Murray has agreed. But for some strange reason it’s been really dragging. Because I was supposed to have been traded last week by Friday. Then they moved the deal to Monday. But then on Monday nothing was clear again, so I wait. Now the team has left for Europe where they’ll start the season. I’m hoping everything will be settled there. For now I’m training with the farm team. But I’m not prepared to wait a long time for a deal, two weeks at most. If Ottawa can’t find a deal, I’m heading to Moscow.

But then again, a lot depends on where I’d be traded. For instance, if it’s Detroit, then I can buy a ticket to Russia right away. I won’t have a chance to play for that team. I would like to get on an average team, so I can play. By the way, should the new team also send me down to the AHL, I’ll again have to think. I will find out for how long this would be. I’m not going to waste a season in the minors.

Obviously, I’m hoping everything works out in the best way. I won’t say where I would like to end up. I’ve become a bit superstitious lately. At any rate, I’m waiting now, but it’s apparent now that I’m spending my last days in Ottawa.

This was taken from someone quoting Nikulin\'s blog on the sens.com message boards, because today mysteriously Nikulin\'s blog is nowhere to be found...hmmmm

My take is the Sens were hoping to see him take the next step, and then he shows up to camp out of shape. And after what happened last season, management just isn\'t going to put up with that.