[KHL] Vladimir Tarasenko traded to SKA Petersburg

PocketNines

Cutter's Way
Apr 29, 2004
13,161
5,157
Badlands
no doubt NHL is best league in world but in reality there is a many players in Europe who are not any worse than 1-2 line players in NHL.(and i am not talking about 3-4 liners) There is really very strong clubs but weak ones as well, so... Can you explain me why players like Nikitin,Grachev,Voinov,Orlov,Dadonov,Loktionov,Babchuk,Tyutin,Emelin,Burmistrov( if we talking just about russians) for example are in NHL but Tarasenko,Kuznetsov,Nikulin,Grebeshkov,Medvedev,Koltzov,Radulov,Marozov,Igor Grigorenko,Chipachyov,Chudinov are not? Playing in NHL dosnt mean "definitely" best you know:sarcasm: I am still living in real life but not sure about you.

No, you got me, I mean that is an impressive, unassailable argument. I hope Tarasenko and Kuznetsov don't leave for their NHL teams – don't they realize them playing in the KHL proves KHL #1 super best league??!?!
 

pouskin74*

Guest
No, you got me, I mean that is an impressive, unassailable argument. I hope Tarasenko and Kuznetsov don't leave for their NHL teams – don't they realize them playing in the KHL proves KHL #1 super best league??!?!


Again, who says that KHL is best league? or you making fun of someone again :huh:
 

Eisen

Registered User
Sep 30, 2009
16,737
3,101
Duesseldorf
I think the only reason he would consider staying one more year is if the CBA negotiations seem to hint to another strike.
 

The Zetterberg Era

Ball Hockey Sucks
Nov 8, 2011
40,956
11,575
Ft. Myers, FL
no doubt NHL is best league in world but in reality there is a many players in Europe who are not any worse than 1-2 line players in NHL.(and i am not talking about 3-4 liners) There is really very strong clubs but weak ones as well, so... Can you explain me why players like Nikitin,Grachev,Voinov,Orlov,Dadonov,Loktionov,Babchuk,Tyutin,Emelin,Burmistrov( if we talking just about russians) for example are in NHL but Tarasenko,Kuznetsov,Nikulin,Grebeshkov,Medvedev,Koltzov,Radulov,Marozov,Igor Grigorenko,Chipachyov,Chudinov are not? Playing in NHL dosnt mean "definitely" best you know:sarcasm: I am still living in real life but not sure about you.

I understand the point of your list but feel compelled to point out as a Wings fan post accident, Grigorenko simply could not play in the NHL and failed in his brief stint in the AHL before heading home. Wings management and scouts talked about his lack of speed and decline in ability after the layoff and injury related problems. They hold his rights and even went so far as to suggest at a point within the last couple years that he no longer is in their plans because of talent. I know he is a quality player over there and really the difference in ice size as you pointed out is a big factor.

On some of the other names listed, aside from the Tarasenko and Kuznetsov who people believe will be in the NHL shortly. Radulov is of course a well documented story. I would take almost every player you listed in the NHL over the other players. Emelin being especially noteworthy because he himself said he was leaving Russia to not only live his dream of playing in the NHL, but to play more competitive hockey.

Not here to bash the KHL, I get great enjoyment out of the games I do catch online occasionally. I like to watch the SM-liiga and Elitserien as well, they are a different style of hockey but have very good players. But much like the AHL (For instance Nyquist, Smith and Tatar could all play in the NHL today) at any given time those leagues only boast so many that actually could hack it anywhere in the NHL. The gap is closing, but I stand firm on them all being still a substantial ways off.
 

PocketNines

Cutter's Way
Apr 29, 2004
13,161
5,157
Badlands
Again, who says that KHL is best league? or you making fun of someone again :huh:

Isn't Kevin Dallman the leading defenseman scorer in the league? Saw one of his games the other day, was watching Barys play Sibir. I remember when Dallman was a fringe NHLer, had a couple games for the Blues. A lot of guys hang around the edges of the NHL and head to Europe. Other guys like Jonas Junland are prospects who might not want to put in the work to stay in North America. Think he's on Barys now too. Brandon Bochenski, also Barys, high in the scoring race. Was a fringe NHLer with a bunch of teams and now he's a leading KHLer.

I've seen about a dozen KHL games in the last few weeks and there are guys who are finishing off their careers spending the last few years in the KHL (Lubos Bartecko, for example) or who couldn't really stick in the NHL there, a few decent talents who never chose to leave, a few high quality young prospects, and a lot of mediocrity.

This whole thread is about Tarasenko being traded and what it means about him staying in the KHL versus coming to the NHL. And I find it comical that people are saying he would consider staying in the KHL for the reason that its quality can compete with the NHL. It can't. Then there were all the people saying he wouldn't come over because St. Louis was, and I quote, a "hellhole." That's why the dumb city stuff got started.

The fact of the matter is that St. Petersburg won't even have the option of offering Tarasenko money to stay because his rights go back to Sibir at the end of April. If Sibir thought for one second Tarasenko might be persuaded to stay in Russia next season they'd have done everything in their power to show him their commitment and they wouldn't have rented him out for the rest of the KHL season. They did so because they're in a position to know (they employ his dad, who they demoted, for crying out loud) that he's headed to America and the NHL. But they're getting his rights back so that if for some reason he goes back to Russia they're the team that owns his rights there.

So this trade – the trade in the title of the thread – basically ensures that barring a lockout (in which case no players would be playing for the Blues) Tarasenko will be playing for the Blues next year. Even if there is a lockout, he'll sign his ELC after the season and World Championships (probably late May, early June) and be over for training in the summer. If the CBA negotiations result in damage to the season, then he might go back. But at that point the much bigger concern is the season itself, not Tarasenko individually. Even then, when the dust clears his dream is still to play in the NHL. When you're that good, you want to test yourself against the best. Tarasenko needs to know how good he really is and to know that he has to go where the best players play.

As for the KHL #1 league stuff, just having fun with you but the joke's played out. Have a nice day, man.
 

Bure

Registered User
Jan 3, 2011
3,719
2
Ottawa, Ontario
By the way, last thing on that topic of St.Louis, I didn't mean to offend anyone it's definitely a livable city.


Any ways Tarasenko is almost certainly coming over, end discussion.
 

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