Russia's Kontinental Hockey League has released a stiff list of criteria that will need to be met for NHL players looking for employment in case of a lockout.
With the current collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its player's association set to expire on Sept. 15, commissioner Gary Bettman has already made it clear that the league will lockout the players if a new deal is not in place by the deadline. This has left many of the players searching for alternative employment opportunities, with the KHL largely considered the most popular option.
However, with this new set of restrictions it will limit the amount of players able to play in the league.
Via ProHockeyTalk.com:
- 150 NHL games played over the last three seasons
- Must have previous KHL experience
- A national team member in one of the last two World Championships, World Junior Championships, or Olympic teams
- A Stanley Cup winner or finalist or an NHL award winner of another kind
To add to this, the KHL will only pay up to 65 percent of an NHL player's contract so even if you want to go get paid, you're not going to get it all. On the upside for the Russian team, that salary doesn't count against their league's cap.
Compound this with the Swedish Elite League's decision to not allow temporary contracts for locked out NHL players and the available opportunities are slowly drying up.
For all the news surrounding the NHL's collective bargaining agreement and the ongoing quest to replace it, stick with this StoryStream.