Malkin '100%' coming over next year. RSL club threatens legal action

[Kirk Muller*]

Magnitogorsk doesn't want to stop Malkin from playing in North America, they want fair compensation.

Yeah, and if they don't get "fair compensation", then they want to stop him from going (which they have no way of doing anyway).

 

[Absolut]

Are you saying that the 25M$ that Kiev got for Shevchenko is a reasonable transfer price for Malkin?

Shevchenko was already a superstar, playing for a club with impeccable international reputation. Malkin is not anywhere near Shevchenko's stratosphere at the moment.

 

[Vikke]

Shevchenko was already a superstar, playing for a club with an impeccable international reputation. Malkin is not anywhere near Shevchenko's stratosphere at the moment.

I'd say he is.

 

[Absolut]

I'd say he is.

Based on what? Olympics? Not good enough. Shevchenko was a top European star for a couple of years prior to the transfer. A proven commodity, unlike Malkin.

 

[illogic]

Based on what? Olympics? Not good enough. Shevchenko was a top European star for a couple of years prior to the transfer. A proven commodity, unlike Malkin.

Malkin's been a top star for the RSL for the past couple of years too.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Malkin is already a proven star.

 

[Absolut]

Malkin's been a top star for the RSL for the past couple of years too.

There is a big difference between being a top star in the RSL (see Alexei Morozov) and being a top star in the NHL. There is not much difference between the Dynamo Kiev superstar and the AC Milan superstar because they play against the same competition in the European Cups. Dynamo has produced severall European Footballers of the Year. How many Hart Trophy winners has Malkin's club produced so far?

 

[The New Originals]

Yeah, he is a proven star in Russia. I'm not so sure he has reached the level of Shevchenko yet though

 

[TK79]

I was looking in broader terms than just hockey. Consider how much money the NCAA rakes in, especially on football and basketball. All at the cost of about $20-25,000 per athlete per year.

Nice scam.

Scam?? Umm no.. If an Ivy league school had offered me a schlorship to play hockey when I was 18 I would have thanked my lucky stars every night.. An education like that while also doing what you love is a very sweet deal. Even if hockey didn't work out as a career you would still be set for life. Slave labour, come on..

 

[jekoh]

Yeah, and if they don't get "fair compensation", then they want to stop him from going (which they have no way of doing anyway).

They have no way of stopping him from going. Therefore what they want is something else.

 

[Beesfan]

Scam?? Umm no.. If an Ivy league school had offered me a schlorship to play hockey when I was 18 I would have thanked my lucky stars every night.. An education like that while also doing what you love is a very sweet deal. Even if hockey didn't work out as a career you would still be set for life. Slave labour, come on..

Not to nitpick, but Ivy league schools don't offer athletic scholarships. I do agree with your point though, and there are plenty of great academic schools (UMich, BC) that do give their players a full tuition waiver. It works out for both the player and the school.

 

[Stephen]

All these clubs want money for their players which brings me to this point. Should NCAA clubs be paid for their players? Think of all the money the invested hockeywise and academically in them.

Think of the millions the NCAA makes off of students in their various sports in exchange for virtually nothing in monetary compensation except for the price of college tuition and boarding.

 

[jekoh]

There is a big difference between being a top star in the RSL (see Alexei Morozov) and being a top star in the NHL. There is not much difference between the Dynamo Kiev superstar and the AC Milan superstar because they play against the same competition in the European Cups. Dynamo has produced severall European Footballers of the Year. How many Hart Trophy winners has Malkin's club produced so far?

Malkin has starred in the Olympics, which is a higher level than the NHL.

 

[Bobby Orr's Knees]

Malkin has starred in the Olympics, which is a higher level than the NHL.

It's amazing how high everyone is on Malkin. To compare Malkin to Shevchenko at this stage of the game is laughable. If you think Malkin will be as good as Sheva, then you expect him to become a legend and win numerous Art Ross awards and some Harts too...

 

[Resolute]

Malkin has starred in the Olympics, which is a higher level than the NHL.

Malkin has had a good tournament.

He has not shown he can handle an 82 game NHL season + playoffs.

I hate to break it to the Europeans, but over here, what he's done in Russia means squat. He might be the next superstar. He might be the next Alexandre Daigle. He's unproven in North America until he proves himself in North America.

 

[Absolut]

I hate to break it to the Europeans, but over here, what he's done in Russia means squat. He might be the next superstar. He might be the next Alexandre Daigle. He's unproven in North America until he proves himself in North America.

I think you got it backwards. I am English. That's why I keep insisting that hockey sucess in Europe can't be compared to the NHL - and that comparing Malkin to Shevchenko is a joke. And the posters that keep insisting that Malkin is indeed a sure thing... who knows where they are from....

 

[jekoh]

Which is why Russia signs the IIHF agreement this summer. This way they get something. Otherwise the smart money says that one way or another Malkin comes over for nothing.

Remind me again how many players left Russia for the NHL this season ?

Maybe they didn't sign because most clubs were not going to receive anything anyway !

Meanwhile their belligerent attitude has helped raise the standard compensation by about 30% if I'm not mistaken. Maybe they will join in when they think it has raised enough.

 

[Va Beach Pens Fan]

If thats the case, I think his agent dropped the ball here.

Who is, of course, Crosby's agent as well, correct ??

 

[Lionel Hutz]

Bring him over, let the lawyers sort it out.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Wow, somehow the crazy European Football Transfer Fees can also be applied to the NHL?

Don't forget that AC Milan is valued at $1 billion by Forbes. Pittsburgh is worth about one-tenth that.

Don't forget that when bidding on Footballers there are several clubs involved. However, the only NHL team that can have Malkin is Pittsburgh.

 

[SammyTheBull]

Malkin is already a proven star.

Like Aleksy Morozov?

 

[Fredrik]

Wow, somehow the crazy European Football Transfer Fees can also be applied to the NHL?

Don't forget that AC Milan is valued at $1 billion by Forbes. Pittsburgh is worth about one-tenth that.

Don't forget that when bidding on Footballers there are several clubs involved. However, the only NHL team that can have Malkin is Pittsburgh.

If Pittsburgh cannot afford to pay for Malkin they should give up and let someone else buy him instead. I'm sure the Rangers or the Leafs can pay more than the Penguins.

 

[inferno98]

Think of the millions the NCAA makes off of students in their various sports in exchange for virtually nothing in monetary compensation except for the price of college tuition and boarding.

In the article "The Contradictions of Big-time College Sport" by D. Stanley Eitzen, it explains how some universities make money and how some lose money. Most lose money, only a few make money. One of the schools that makes money is Notre Damn because they have some kind of Contract in which Nike or Adidas or one of them pays them something like a few to several mil a year so there football team wheres there spikes. Most universities that are Division 1 lose money unless there team is getting to the final 4 or there team is getting to a bowl game. Take a school like Duke University, there Basketball is amazing there football team is absolutley horrible, so the basketball team is making them money while the football team is losing money. Another situation is like Temple University, they have a sub-par basketball team(makes them no money) and a absolutley horrible football team. They are losing money because of this.

I am not sure exactly how say Minnesota is, there football team is good and so is there hockey team so a university like that might make a little bit of money, where as most schools dont have any good athletic teams to make money off of and they lose money on there athletes. The rest of the students at the university pay for these kids.

 

[jekoh]

It's amazing how high everyone is on Malkin. To compare Malkin to Shevchenko at this stage of the game is laughable. If you think Malkin will be as good as Sheva, then you expect him to become a legend and win numerous Art Ross awards and some Harts too...

"Numerous Art Ross" ? He's won the top scorer award in the Italian league two times. And the Italian league is only one of the traditionnal top four leagues in Europe, while the NHL supposedly has all the best players.

And he's only won one "european player of the year" and zero "fifa player of the year". How you translate that into "some Harts" I don't know.

 

[The Moose]

I think this is entirely between Dynamo and Malkin. The main point is whether russian law treats hockey contracts as any other job contract and a worker/player can just walk out, voiding the contract. If this is the case, then Malkin can just walk out and Dynamo gets squat. But if the contract are binding, then it doesn't matter what Malkin wants, he has to play out his contract, unless the club releases him. Should he decide to leave, Dynamo will sue him personally for damages (not Pitt), in a russian court. And if the contract is binding they will win. He either pays or gets his *** thrown into the slammer the next time he sets foot in Russia.

I think the frustration of the russian clubs is understandable, considering the money they pour into player development. In North Amrtica the player supports the cost of his own development (well,...his parents) and he gets his money worth by the eventual pro contrcts he signs. Obviously a different story in Europe so it is normal clubs want to make some profit in order to keep the program going. If player's parents would pay the bills in Russia, then the entire program would colapse.

On the other hand, as some other posters pointed out, is ridiculous to compare Malkin with Sheva. Not only Sheva was a established star but the soccer market and hockey market are two very very different things. It wasn't ridiculous to pay 25 mil for Sheva transfer because Milan got their investemnt back many times over. No hockey market justifies paying this kind of money for Malkin or for any other player as a matter of fact. In the end these are bussines decisions, no owner would pay just because he likes some player. Abramovich invested huge amounts of money in Chelsea but the club still makes a hefty profit; it wasn't all just for the sake of soccer.