Sometimes I am a little suprised which players NHL teams draft, and which players are not drafted. A prime example that exposes weaknesses in the NHL scouting system when it comes to Russia is Nikolai Kulemin: he has made excellent strides recently, but that potential and ability was always there. Then when some late draft pick does pan out, NHL teams refuse to sign them, and fans justify this by saying that such players are unproven. If you're not going to sign an "unproven" player who has shown he is amongst the best players in the 2nd best league in the world, why bother drafting this player at all? In the meantime, some of the early rounders, such as Yakubov, are brought over when anyone who follows Russian hockey could have told Chicago and subsequently Florida that the guy is still an AHL - level player.
It is just my general belief that sometimes the scouting and more so the signing of Russian prospects is handled poorly. The catch phrase "he doesn't seem to want to come to North America" has emerged. Sure the player won't pack up his bags and come play in the ECHL comepletely on his own and uninvited when he already has a job in the 2nd best league in the world. However, given an appropriate contract, any prospect can be signed... I think anyone who makes more in the RSL than NHL teams are willing to offer them ARE worth the money. Why would RSL teams be paying those players MORE than they could get in the NHL if they are bad and not NHL worthy? The RSL's average salary is, after all, substantially less.
Perhaps NHL teams should draft less Russians and stick to only getting players like Ovechkin. I mean late rounders like Atyushov, Zinovjev, ect have proven themseleves season after season by being amongst the best in the RSL... yet their NHL teams refuse to and sign them. The next wave of late - round drafted talent most likely won't get signed either. We might not see Kulyash in Nashville, Koshechkin in Tampa Bay, or Kaigorodov in Ottawa. Yet the worse Sishkanovs, Grebeshkovs, and Artyukhins are all getting at least some NHL time and their respective shots. Hell, some guys arguably better than all the above, for example Zaripov, dont even get drafted. My advice to NHL teams is to simply dont draft Russian players unless you know you're getting an Ovechkin or Kovalchuk.
That being said, Grigorenko makes 1 million. Also, it is widely circulated that Russian prospects gets an extension to be signed over other Eurps... yet can anyone say which draft year's rights in terms of Russian players do NHL teams still have?