KHL Season 2017/18

[GindyDraws]

I think the first time I heard something like that was back in 2009. So yeah, I actually wouldn't hold my breath.

I'm just saying that this league keeps changing it's strategy yearly.

 

[Atas2000]

The one-way contracts have been released. Two-way deals will likely be in the minors next season. Given that another 3 teams will be subtracted from the KHL after the upcoming season, I would be surprised if Dynamo returns.

Why would they need to return? They are not going anywhere?

 

[Atas2000]

I'm just saying that this league keeps changing it's strategy yearly.

Not really. Not saying they have good one.

 

[Atas2000]

This league will likely die a painful death.

You wish. I get it. Don't bet on it. Save your money.

 

[Finnpin]

Is it already out? What do you mean with new playoff schedule? And in fact, playoffs in hockey always favour big teams with large rosters, honestly. If you're to build a winning team, you need to have depth and have something more than just that "good" team. It's no top secret.

Playoffs rounds 1 and 2 has at least 2 back to back games and only one rest day which is obviously traveling day.

For example:

Game 1: monday
Game 2: tuesday
Travel day: wednesday
Game 3: thursday
Game 4: friday

Source: Jokerit twitter

 

[Rigafan]

I'm just saying that this league keeps changing it's strategy yearly.

The league is only 10 years old. Still very much in its infancy. Sure its having some interesting developments with teams coming and going and financial issues but it all takes time doesn't it.

 

[hansomreiste]

Playoffs rounds 1 and 2 has at least 2 back to back games and only one rest day which is obviously traveling day.

For example:

Game 1: monday
Game 2: tuesday
Travel day: wednesday
Game 3: thursday
Game 4: friday

Source: Jokerit twitter

I'm not against B2B games but I hope this information you got is wrong. Four games in five days in such a high-quality league is totally absurd. Nothing about this schedule makes sense. If there will be B2B games, I think they will have two-day rest break between home/away switches, after first two games.

This league badly needs a player limitation or a salary cap harder than rock. This development plan looked good on paper but I don't care whether Neftekhimik is competitive or not as long as I can tell who'll hoist the Gagarin Cup even before the season starts.

 

[Finnpin]

I'm not against B2B games but I hope this information you got is wrong. Four games in five days in such a high-quality league is totally absurd. Nothing about this schedule makes sense. If there will be B2B games, I think they will have two-day rest break between home/away switches, after first two games.

This league badly needs a player limitation or a salary cap harder than rock. This development plan looked good on paper but I don't care whether Neftekhimik is competitive or not as long as I can tell who'll hoist the Gagarin Cup even before the season starts.

Like I said that's the info what Jokerit got from KHL and they tweeted (the "schedule") in their official account. Why would it be wrong information?

 

[hansomreiste]

Like I said that's the info what Jokerit got from KHL and they tweeted (the "schedule") it in their official account. Why would it be wrong information?

You misunderstood. I'm not saying it is wrong or you are lying. I'm just saying it sounds so stupid that I hope it is just wrong. In a country as big as Russia, even intraconference games may require long distance flights - this is not Czech Republic. Having two games in two days can be understandable to a degree but having only one day to rest following that, right before playing another two games in two days... ***** is this. Wow.

 

[Finnpin]

It is one of the dumbest moves I've seen KHL making. Apparently their explanation is "because of the Olympics."

 

[Go Donbass]

I don't know what is more difficult, waiting for the KHL schedule to be released or trying to get to sleep on Christmas Eve when you're 6.

 

[hansomreiste]

I don't know what is more difficult, waiting for the KHL schedule to be released or trying to get to sleep on Christmas Eve when you're 6.

Not sure about KHL but there is no reason to be excited about Christmas. Because it is very likely that CSKA will take your Christmas presents for monetary compensation and there is not much you can do about it.

 

[vorky]

It is one of the dumbest moves I've seen KHL making. Apparently their explanation is "because of the Olympics."

There will be back to back games in regular season and play off. As you said, it is because of Olympics. Do not know if you realise how complicated is to make a KHL schedule. You have to take into accounts days when a team´s arena is booked for another events (some teams have 30-40 such days - ONE MONTH - during late August - late January, it is a lot! Many Russian arenas are booked for Christmas & New Year events, during the best time for hockey!). Then there is Olympics, one month break. Then you have to finish play off a week or so before IIHF World Championship. The KHL offered a change of international hockey schedule a few years ago, to play World Championship every second year, to have WCH later. But Euros and IIHF (yes, I can give you concrete names of officials or national hockey federations) denied it because "the KHL offered it." So if you dislike the KHL schedule, blame Euros!

 

[Finnpin]

There will be back to back games in regular season and play off. As you said, it is because of Olympics. Do not know if you realise how complicated is to make a KHL schedule. You have to take into accounts days when a team´s arena is booked for another events (some teams have 30-40 such days - ONE MONTH - during late August - late January, it is a lot! Many Russian arenas are booked for Christmas & New Year events, during the best time for hockey!). Then there is Olympics, one month break. Then you have to finish play off a week or so before IIHF World Championship. The KHL offered a change of international hockey schedule a few years ago, to play World Championship every second year, to have WCH later. But Euros and IIHF (yes, I can give you concrete names of officials or national hockey federations) denied it because "the KHL offered it." So if you dislike the KHL schedule, blame Euros!

I know but still 4 games inside 5 days in two first playoff rounds is ****. Cut more regular season games or something. It's easy for SKA and other big boys rotate their depth rosters in situation like that.

 

[Atas2000]

I know but still 4 games inside 5 days in two first playoff rounds is ****. Cut more regular season games or something. It's easy for SKA and other big boys rotate their depth rosters in situation like that.

The KHL does have an Olympics brake this year. I am okay with the inconveniece of the shedule. Otherwise we would be no better than the NHL, a bunch of egoistic, greedy a-holes.

 

[hansomreiste]

The KHL does have an Olympics brake this year. I am okay with the inconveniece of the shedule. Otherwise we would be no better than the NHL, a bunch of egoistic, greedy a-holes.

KHL is not better than NHL, they just have different ways of being a-holes.

By the way, home openers are released with the rest coming up tomorrow. My boys from Omsk is opening it against Dinamo Riga on August 22 and CSKA's home opener is against Avangard on September 1, if I recall correctly - too lazy to check now. If this is the case, I assume we will have three or four games at home to begin with and then go on a western trip.

Last year, there was a guy who prepared great wallpapers with schedules for each time. No idea who he was. I hope he comes back for this year and makes another one - it was really cool.

 

[hansomreiste]

Ouch... If my Russian doesn't fail me, I understand that further 25 players of Dynamo Moscow are now unrestricted free agents and the team will not compete in KHL in the upcoming season. Here are the news,

http://www.khl.ru/news/2017/07/12/350632.html

What's going on again? The full schedule was to be released today and now they say Dynamo is out.

 

[Caser]

Ouch... If my Russian doesn't fail me, I understand that further 25 players of Dynamo Moscow are now unrestricted free agents and the team will not compete in KHL in the upcoming season. Here are the news,

http://www.khl.ru/news/2017/07/12/350632.html

What's going on again? The full schedule was to be released today and now they say Dynamo is out.

"OHK Dynamo Moscow" is out, but the new "Dynamo Moscow" is in (don't remember how was it officially called), therefore KHL is letting go all the players contracted to "OHK Dynamo Moscow", so they could sign wherever they want.

 

[vorky]

"OHK Dynamo Moscow" is out, but the new "Dynamo Moscow" is in (don't remember how was it officially called), therefore KHL is letting go all the players contracted to "OHK Dynamo Moscow", so they could sign wherever they want.

You are right.

New Dynamo is de iure OOO Dynamo Moscow. "OOO" means type of legal entity, something like Ltd in english.

For those who do not know. The KHL has a rule saying "A player can request a status of Unrestricted Free Agent if he is not paid for at least two months." Now, they are doing it.

 

[ozo]

Now we need to make OOO Admiral, and their salary problems will be gone too.

 

[Atas2000]

KHL is not better than NHL, they just have different ways of being a-holes.

By the way, home openers are released with the rest coming up tomorrow. My boys from Omsk is opening it against Dinamo Riga on August 22 and CSKA's home opener is against Avangard on September 1, if I recall correctly - too lazy to check now. If this is the case, I assume we will have three or four games at home to begin with and then go on a western trip.

Last year, there was a guy who prepared great wallpapers with schedules for each time. No idea who he was. I hope he comes back for this year and makes another one - it was really cool.

I think you perfectly unnderstood what I mean. I.e. the Olympics and international hockey in general. There is only one league that has the nerve to think that they are bigger than the game itself.

As for the schedule, it is what it is. No big hockey in Kazan till December. I'm fine with it. December and January are going to be fun.

 

[Atas2000]

Ouch... If my Russian doesn't fail me, I understand that further 25 players of Dynamo Moscow are now unrestricted free agents and the team will not compete in KHL in the upcoming season. Here are the news,

http://www.khl.ru/news/2017/07/12/350632.html

What's going on again? The full schedule was to be released today and now they say Dynamo is out.

They have to do it. And it was the best option. The case is special. Basically one guy many called out even before he was allowed to run the franchize driving the whole thing against the wall. Safronov is the man in question if you don't know already. If OHK Dynamo would remain in the KHL it would most definitely mean one of the most storied teams in the country to leave the championship AND wouldn't solveany financial problems for the team, the players, the whole franchize properties. So forming a new company would allow the team to participate and deal with the OHK Dynamo debts which are still there and legally valid separately. On the other hand players don't have contracts with the new company obviously. On paper it is a new organization and it would have to sign players. The OHK Dynamo players are now free to sign with the new company or any other team if they choose to. It is the best option in one *** up situation. Basically a much much bigger Jack Johnson case. There is no way denying he is a victim in this situation. There is no denying he will lose money. But it is proper to find a way for him to continue playing.

Shooting Safronov won't get the money back. It is what it is, a mess.

 

[Milos Krasic]

 

[SoundAndFury]

KHL training camps are going in full force so out of boredom I decided to write impressions on the teams, if they got better or worse over summer. Partially also to get a better impression what's changed. So lets go.

#1 last year, CSKA. Got a lot better.

CSKA made loads of moves, they got weaker in the crease in theory replacing Fasth with Johansson but not like it really matters. Got better on defense replacing 3 30+ guys (Panin, Kutuzov and Denisov) with 3 guys who are younger AND better (Pashnin, Robinson and Nesterov). Not a huge upgrade but an upgrade nonetheless even though it depends a lot what impact Nesterov has. Biggest improvement comes at forward, CSKA improved their depth at center dramatically and overall skill level significantly by adding every good forward previously on Sibir, Luybimov, Burdasov, Grigorenko and Kaprizov (most likely). Last year it felt like CSKA has one skilled line and 3 lines of grinders, 36 y.o. Popov was their 2nd line center which is just sad. Now they have to make some moves as they have too many players but that's sort of a good problem to have. Not a fan of sacking Kvartalnov, really think this roster could be amazing in his hands.

#2 SKA. Got slightly(?) worse.

SKA on the other hand didn't do much, didn't need to do much. Added their 3 depth forwards and 2 defensemen to have a nice 30 player roster. Why not, am I right? However they lost 2 superstars of the league and will be forced to replace them with mere mortals, also Datsyuk got even older. Hence they got worse.

#3 Magnitka. Got (a lot) worse.

Magnitka is either in conscious rebuild mode or forced not having money mode. But they replaced Chris Lee with a guy who was forced to go to Europe because he didn't find an AHL job (4 years ago but still). That paints the picture. Downgrades across the board with defense being a complete smoking wreck in particular. I like most of their signings to be honest but obviously the amount of money spent on them is a lot lower when we were used to.

#4 Dynamo Moscow. Got a lot worse.

Dynamo understandably won't be the same team we are used to see but things aren't terrible either. Their roster is still obviously under construction and losing Karpov or Robinson obviously stings but if you are building it around Hietanen, Boyd and Karsums it's really not that bad. Dynamo seem to become a play-off contender in that Vityaz mold.

#5 Lokomotiv. Got slightly worse.

Very, very quiet summer for Loko. No impact signings. 3 quality players - Gavrikov, Pashnin and Loktionov - left to where the grass is greener (and it is undoubtedly a lot greener for the former 2) but they can take a hit on defense due to their excellent depth and their kids will take a step forward. So all in all, those are big losses that sort of heal from within, I think.

#6 Avangard. Stayed the same.

Now this is tricky. Avangard improved their depth but at the same time, Sobotka was most likely better player than Sundstrom, Ilya Zubov is better than Stas. Burdasov and Pestushko are more or less equal to Everberg and Kugryshev. So at the end of the day Ava got better by adding Maxim Berezin and forward depth but worse by losing good players at key positions. Really interesting to see how it plays out. Being at the same level when most teams got worse isn't a bad thing, also Skabelka > Kanareikin. So yeah, one of the more interesting teams to see in the new season.

#7 Ak Bars. Got slightly better.

Also a quiet summer, made their VHL team a lot better by signing bunch of Kuznya guys, replaced Varnakov with Zaripov which to me seems pretty lateral at this stage of Zaripov's career but also signed Lander and Galiev which overall improves that forward group a lot. Defense is a question mark as Elliot and Jordan who left are holes that will have to be filled but I'm pretty sure those are going to be filled eventually, maybe they are waiting for SKA to come to conclusion they don't want to start the season with 12 defensemen and give them one, wouldn't be the worst plan.

#8 Dinamo Minsk. Got a lot worse.

I was a bit shocked to see Minsk finished 8th in the league last year (but hey comrades, East conference is strong, honest) and they are bound to fall big time unless some miracles happen. They got Enroth to replace leaving Scrivens and brought Vladimir Denisov home. That's solid. At forward, meanwhile, they lost Kostitsyn, Palushaj, Ellison, Stas, Pettersson and potentially even Nikita Komarov. That is crippling. Looks like after year of overachieving Minsk are ready to fight for the place in the play-offs as they had so many years before.

To be continued, I got hungry. Also Torpedo is next and boy is it a head scratcher.

 

[CPFC]

Good summary, looking forward for the next part.