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

[Jaded-Fan]

"I've already made up my mind for next season -- I'll be leaving for the NHL. I'm 100 percent sure of that," Malkin, who has a contract with Metallurg through 2008, was quoted as saying by Sport-Express newspaper.

His move across the Atlantic, however, could be delayed because Russia remains the only major hockey power not to sign a transfer agreement with the NHL. Under the agreement, approved by the International Ice Hockey Federation last year, Metallurg would have received $900,000 for Malkin.

But Magnitogorsk general director Gennady Velichkin threatened to go to court if Pittsburgh do not buy out Malkin's contract.

http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/ne...ORTS-ICE-HOCKEY-MALKIN-COL.XML&archived=False

Sounds like desperation to me, doesn't it? And realization that they are realizing that they are going to get either an IIHF payment or zip. And not liking that at all. As for Malkin, I love how definitive he is about coming.

Click to read more...

 

[katodelder]

This sounds like it's going to get ugly.

Who has the leverage in this situation?

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Finally it came exactly to that. The Czechs, long-time Russian allies in this "war" with the NHL, drew their swords at the last moment. They demanded that overseas clubs should increase the minimum player transfer fee from $150,000 up to $300,000. The NHL yielded but only a little. Under the new agreement American clubs shall pay no less than $200,000 for transferred players. Mr. Bettman, in turn, forbade NHL clubs to accept Russian hockey players who have existing contracts with their home clubs. A player can be transferred on the condition that he has no contract or it is void. Besides, NHL clubs are categorically prohibited from negotiating transfers with Russian teams. There has been nothing mentioned about compensation on this point.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20050901/41272644.html

 

[timmy12]

Just because Malkin says he is coming over does not make it so. the only way he will be over here is if a transfer agreement is signed.

 

[SuperUnknown]

Just because Malkin says he is coming over does not make it so. the only way he will be over here is if a transfer agreement is signed.

He can breach his own contract. Then he wouldn't be able to play in Russia again, but maybe he doesn't care.

 

[Beesfan]

what if he were to hold out? do you see that increasing the chances of an agreement getting signed, or will his team just let him sit under contract to spite the NHL?

 

[Astaroth]

Malkin's team does have a point, it is a legitimate contract and it is hardly abusive considering the team has been taking care of Malkin and his family's expenses since he was in their hockey school. The russian system is quite akin to soccer and a transfer pricetag is only resonable. I don't think the nhl will fold though. It'll be interesting to say the least.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Gonna be a long and interesting off-season...

 

[BuppY]

quite the mess. I hope things work out and he comes over next year.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

There is a quirk in Russian law that has been quoted here often before that allows a worker in Russia to walk from any job, voiding any contract, with two weeks notice. Long and short of it is that in the end this is why Russia will sign the deal this summer. The clubs get a shade under $1 million or nothing. $1 million is certainly better than zip. For the NHL, there is an advantage in making a deal as well. Certainty is worth something and smooth aquisition of Russian players makes drafting them much less of a crap shoot. All in all both sides need a deal this summer in my opinion.

 

[HoustonHockey]

If the contract issue got bad enough, do y'all think he would claim political asylum here?

 

[tom_servo]

He can breach his own contract. Then he wouldn't be able to play in Russia again, but maybe he doesn't care.

Well, hey, at least that would squash the idea of Malkin walking away from his NHL contract if he doesn't get Crosby-type minutes. Where else would he play (for a comparable sum of money)?

 

[Kirk Muller*]

I think people are making this out to be worse than it is.

Malkin will go wherever he wants. Metallurg can posture and threaten legal action. Dynamo did the same for Ovechkin and got nothing in the end.

 

[Kirk Muller*]

Malkin's team does have a point, it is a legitimate contract and it is hardly abusive considering the team has been taking care of Malkin and his family's expenses since he was in their hockey school. The russian system is quite akin to soccer and a transfer pricetag is only resonable. I don't think the nhl will fold though. It'll be interesting to say the least.

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

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

I think that his russian club is doing the right thing. European teams dont get enough money for raising the hockey players who then plays in the NHL. I also think that for example top teams in the SEL also pay to little for the players they bring up from the lower league clubs. Teams in the top leagues in Europe should also pay a fair price for the players from the lower leagues and NHL teams should pay a fair price for the players they take from the top leagues. Money must come down to the small clubs or else there will not be many hockey players left in the future. The football (soccer) system works better IMHO where FIFA and UEFA have made sure that the players first club often the local they started out in gets some of the money that his future transfers will generate. I know that NHL have a different system where money isnt involved as much but there is still an awfull lot of money who would do more then good in the clubs far from the pro leagues.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

I think people are making this out to be worse than it is.

Malkin will go wherever he wants. Metallurg can posture and threaten legal action. Dynamo did the same for Ovechkin and got nothing in the end.

As far as I remember, Ovechkin wasn't under contract when he left. He was completely out of it.

Malkin is under a legal contract. I think he should be able to leave, but only if the Pens buy out his contract. It's only fair to the team in Russia.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

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

That kind of money is just silly even do Shevchenko is a great player.

 

[Mr.Brownov*]

From what I understood at the beginning of the lock-out, when Malkin signed this 4 year contract with Metallurg, these next 2 years have options. Does anyone have the details for that agreement?

 

[MojoJojo]

If the contract issue got bad enough, do y'all think he would claim political asylum here?

On what grounds could he POSSIBLY claim political assylum? His coming to play in the NHL is entirely for economic, not politcal reasons. I mean, there are dissidents in China that have spent decades in prison for criticising the government who have a hard time getting political assylum.

 

[Kirk Muller*]

As far as I remember, Ovechkin wasn't under contract when he left. He was completely out of it.

Malkin is under a legal contract. I think he should be able to leave, but only if the Pens buy out his contract. It's only fair to the team in Russia.

Ovechkin had signed a contract with Omsk, which Dynamo "matched".

There's different views about what Russian law says about hockey contracts. Some say that they are just regular contracts, and that hockey players can quit their job just like any other employee. Others say that they are binding contracts.

 

[Beesfan]

This is a little OT, but why would a Russian player like Malkin sign a 4 year deal knowing that it would be difficult to break when he wants to come to the NHL? Does the RHF have some way of compelling players into these contract?

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Ovechkin had signed a contract with Omsk, which Dynamo "matched".

There's different views about what Russian law says about hockey contracts. Some say that they are just regular contracts, and that hockey players can quit their job just like any other employee. Others say that they are binding contracts.

I thought that there was some loophole that pretty much voided Ovechkin's contract. I'm probably wrong, however.

Although I do think that the contract should be bought out, either way.

 

[timmy12]

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.

 

[st5801]

This is a little OT, but why would a Russian player like Malkin sign a 4 year deal knowing that it would be difficult to break when he wants to come to the NHL? Does the RHF have some way of compelling players into these contract?

There was talk of him having a handshake agreement that he would be allowed to leave after completing this season, which he did. That agreement doesn't seem to be kicking in, though.

If thats the case, I think his agent dropped the ball here. I don't know why you ever make a deal like that to begin with, plus like you said, why sign that long of a deal?

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

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.

Yes