One of the hottest topics in Russian hockey in recent seasons has been the imposition of a hard salary cap. In previous seasons, the KHL and the Russian Hockey Federation imposed a ‘soft’ cap on teams, with a progressively stricter regime in place season on season. This year sees the first season of an inflexible limit, set at 900 million rubles (just over US$12 million) per team.
Opinion is divided. Supporters believe it will lead to a more competitive league, with leading players shared more evenly among the clubs. Opponents fear that it will make it harder for the KHL to keep Russian players at home, or to attract high-quality imports from Europe and North America, potentially sparking a drain on talent that will reduce the overall level of the league and hamper team Russia’s development.
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For some players, such as Olympic champion Nikita Nesterov, the new rules have made it difficult to find an employer: at present, the 27-year-old defenceman does not have a club for the coming season after failing to agree terms with CSKA.