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Russian players to face new ban from playing in the NHL
There has been a lot of talk surrounding Russian players and their eligibility to play in the NHL since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. However, the NHL has stood pat and insisted that at no time would the league consider a location based ban. Despite the league's insistance it appears that Russian players will not be able to avoid a ban.
Over the holiday season news came out of Russia that President Vladimir Putin had made an official announcement that would require hockey players to serve a minimum amount of seasons in the league.
Of note to NHL prospects with KHL clubs:
Shumi Babaev mentions via MatchTV:
"We have an order from the President, according to which young players should stay here - in Russia."
They have been working on rules to not allow players to go abroad before a set amount of time.
Shumi Babaev mentions via MatchTV:
"We have an order from the President, according to which young players should stay here - in Russia."
They have been working on rules to not allow players to go abroad before a set amount of time.
This new order will likely create some issues for teams in the future. This likely means that the Philadelphia Flyers will need to wait 3 more seasons before top prospect Matvei Michkov will be allowed to play in the NHL. This rule is also likely to create situations where teams will not select players due to this 4-5 year window.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 26 | 313 ANSWERS Russian players to face new ban from playing in the NHL Should the NHL respect the ruling? | ||
| No, let players who come to NA play | 137 | 43.8 % |
| Yes, no reason to create issues | 104 | 33.2 % |
| I don't care | 72 | 23 % |
| List of polls | ||