Russian Money Raises the Stakes

James Mirtle does a nice job defending the skills and potential of Alex Radulov, the young fellow who has started a war between the NHL and the new Continental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia.

He argues that early returns on Radulov suggest a 40-goal scorer in the making. Losing him would be a huge blow to Nashville.

But in a salary cap world, stats (and potential stats) are just part of the story. To get the full picture of a player, you have to match stats to salary.

Radulov's KHL contract would reportedly pay him $4.33 million (U.S.) per year, tax free. The money is all his. If there's a tax bill, the team presumably covers it.

How much would most NHL teams have to pay a guy to ensure he takes home $4.33 million? Six million dollars a year? Eight million?

For teams operating under a cap, that's an impossible price for a 22-year-old with two NHL seasons under his belt.

Radulov is a contentious case only because he has a year remaining on his deal in Nashville. Future NHL free agents, restricted and unrestricted, will face no such hurdles.

If Russian teams start throwing Radulov money at every decent player without a contract, NHL teams will be faced with some very tough decisions.

The KHL gives players a new stick to use when they sit down to negotiate with their NHL employers: "Give me big money, or I'm going to Russia."

(Photo: Dave Sandford/Getty Images)