KHL All-Star Team in NHL

[Wildcarder]

No doubt you can put together one team from all KHL players and it would certainly be a playoff contender. Absolutely. No matter the ice size.

This. I think people underrate the KHL here.

This is an all-star team from another league, not just taking the top team. Panarin, Radulov, Jagr, Kovalchuk are examples of talent that can play and succeed in both leagues. Then you've still got useful players like Kostitsyn, and Sobotka as well. To say that they'd be easily worse than Columbus is a bit of a stretch. Look at the Leafs roster.

 

[McDNicks17]

Yeah, Jagr too. If you go back to 2011 I'm sure you can find at least a decent NHL caliber player who came over.

Bobrovsky came over in 2011.

 

[Number 57]

It depends. First of all you can't have a team full of KHL all-stars in the NHL, they would get rammed. You need guys that can hit, guys that can PK and guys that can block shots. I'm not sure Brandon Bochenski, Stéphane Da Costa and Linus Omark are the right guys for that. You need a couple of solid 3rd-4th liners (think Komarov who used to play overseas) and bottom-pairing D (think Emelin who is very physical and can play).

Then, you'd need a good coach, to elevate their game.

Finally, you'd have to assemble a team that can play on the smaller ice. Many KHL all-stars have proven before that they can't cut it in the NHL because there is just no space.

They would definitely have firepower in Kovalchuk, Radulov and Mozyakin, along with Voynov who was a legit #3 in the NHL before he had to leave, but it's a question of 'can they build a solid team from top to bottom?'

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Potential playoff team.

 

[Devil Dancer]

KHL all stars just miss their first year in the NHL after getting off to a slow start adjusting to NA ice.

They make the playoffs in year 2.

 

[ViD]

SKA alone would make play offs.

 

[Hardyvan123]

If you were to assemble a KHL All-Star Team and have them compete in the NHL for one year (you can use this year), how would they fare? How many points would they finish with?

From all the players in the KHL you could probably get a playoff team...if everything went as well as it could.

But they would most likely be a middle of the pack team, at best, and might not being any better, or worse, than the Leafs depending on coaching and other factors.

 

[Hardyvan123]

SKA alone would make play offs.

extremely debatable.

 

[Cotton]

SKA alone would make play offs.

They'd be amongst the bottom dwellers without a doubt.

 

[swissexpert]

SKA alone would make play offs.

Zurich Lions once won against Chicago so they would make Stanley Cup finals in the NHL?

I don't think thats how it works.
SKA can beat anyone in the league on a good day but over a full year, no chance for playoffs.
Half of their roster would happily play in the NHL if they would be good enough to become regulars.

 

[MastuhNinks]

I don't know Tarasenkos story, but the KHL wasn't even around when the rest of them were making that decision. Malkin and Ovi were idolizing The Russians playing in the NHL in the 90's growing up. I'm not Russian, but I am sure that Russian kids now are watching the KHL and idolizing them. How many hardcore fans put up with the time difference?

Not sure what your point is, my post is still true. Maybe 10 years from now the majority of Russia's best players will be in the KHL but in 2016 it's not the case.

 

[tucker3434]

I think some of the top end talent on the top end teams in the KHL could compete, but depth would kill them. I'd take a low end NHL 3rd liner over a top end KHL 3rd liner ten times out of ten.

Even an all star team, I'm not sure there are enough high end players to pull it off. I think if they did make the playoffs, they'd get bounced early.

 

[Ryker]

I think they'd be a sure playoff team. Not one of the elite teams, but they'd make it regardless.

 

[De Montreal]

All-star team would make the playoff for sure

Great teams in the KHL would be playoff contenders

 

[Mystifo]

Bobrovsky came over in 2011.

As did Leo Komarov.

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

SKA St. Petersburg would be a playoff team, imo.

Absolutely not.

Any KHL team would get lit up.

 

[DJJones]

This Russian WJC team is fun to watch. How many of their high end prospects will stay in Russia?

 

[lawrence]

at this point what does their all star team look like, or if you can post their last years roster or something we can have a look and decide.

i honestly don't even think they will make come close to the playoffs.

 

[tarheelhockey]

It depends. First of all you can't have a team full of KHL all-stars in the NHL, they would get rammed. You need guys that can hit, guys that can PK and guys that can block shots. I'm not sure Brandon Bochenski, Stéphane Da Costa and Linus Omark are the right guys for that. You need a couple of solid 3rd-4th liners (think Komarov who used to play overseas) and bottom-pairing D (think Emelin who is very physical and can play).

See, that's what I think gets lost in discussions about the KHL. Clearly their stars are lower caliber than the NHL's, but it's not like every 3rd liner in the NHL is better than every 3rd liner in Russia. There are depth players in the KHL who make good enough money that there's no incentive to go overseas. And as we all know, in hockey you can't just win games on the back of your superstars.

In that game between the Canes and St. Petersburg, they came out with a chippy attitude and took serious runs at our best players. Being the preseason we said "screw this" and pulled the more valuable guys out rather than risk injury. But even then it was clear SKA was a team that could, on a given night, punish your top guys physically and then get a couple of bounces. Would they be a good NHL team... no... but they wouldn't be an embarrassment either.

 

[FLYLine27*]

82-0

 

[HarryLime]

Would give the Oilers a run for the #1 pick only to finish last and have the Oilers win it anyway

i couldn't have said it any better

 

[Braunbaer]

No St. Petersburg would not be a playoff team. Thats just ridiculous. All the players who don't make it to the NHL, or made it but are no longer good enough that some team would even hire them are often stars in KHL. The difference is just way to big.

Yeah, because every hockey player in the entire world desperately wants to play in the NHL. It's everybody's dream. But they are all bad players who cannot even compare to great hockey players like John Scott or Zac Rinaldo or whatever goon or pure grinder comes to mind.

 

[LV*]

Yeah, Jagr too. If you go back to 2011 I'm sure you can find at least a decent NHL caliber player who came over.

Alex Radulov. (2011-12 season)

 

[CanadienShark]

No St. Petersburg would not be a playoff team. Thats just ridiculous. All the players who don't make it to the NHL, or made it but are no longer good enough that some team would even hire them are often stars in KHL. The difference is just way to big.

Who was it, Evander Kane I think, that was absolutely terrible in the KHL? They are two very different leagues.

There are some really, really high end guys there that would even be great players in the NHL like Kovalchuk and Radulov. I don't watch enough KHL games, but obviously Panarin and Kuznetsov were two from recent years. It's a played differently - some guys fit better in one league or the other.

 

[DJJones]

Who was it, Evander Kane I think, that was absolutely terrible in the KHL? They are two very different leagues.

There are some really, really high end guys there that would even be great players in the NHL like Kovalchuk and Radulov. I don't watch enough KHL games, but obviously Panarin and Kuznetsov were two from recent years. It's a played differently - some guys fit better in one league or the other.

Reading that players tribune from Kuznetsov I was actually surprised at how physical the junior team was.

They made some passing plays that would be impressive in the NHL.