Bill Daly: "Best Russian Players Still Want To Play In NHL"

After he was surprisingly released from his KHL contract this past June, Philadelphia Flyers rookie forward Matvei Michkov is already being mentioned as the leading candidate for the Calder Trophy. While the fact that Michkov is currently plying his trade in the NHL this season may still be surprising to some, that is not the case for NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

There has been plenty of speculation that given Russia’s persona non grata status with the IIHF and no transfer agreement for the KHL with the NHL, many have speculated that NHL teams would try to find alternative methods of bringing over their Russian prospects.

In a recent one-on-one interview with RG, though, Daly made it clear that he doesn’t believe NHL clubs have made or will make any side deals to facilitate any unofficial transfers of NHL prospects from the KHL to the NHL.

“No, I don’t think so because there have still been players from Russia entering the NHL even though officially we’re not communicating with [the KHL] on any kind of commercial or business basis,” Daly told RG last week. “The fact of the matter is that the best Russian players still want to play in the best professional league in the world, and everybody knows that’s our league. So, they find ways to get here that don’t involve direct participation by the NHL or any of our clubs. I don’t believe there’s been any reduction in the number of players that entered the league during this period of time.”

There’s also a belief that once a Russian prospect’s intentions to bolt for the NHL are made public, that player is being punished by his KHL head coach with less playing time despite his performance dictating more.

"Are there instances where a club perhaps leans on a player a little heavier? I’m sure there are, but as a practical matter, it’s not something that we think, at this point, is flawed in any way. We think we’re still getting the players we’re supposed to be getting. Are they a little bit delayed? Sure, but ultimately, they’re getting here.”

From afar, that appeared to be the case with Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov this season, as, after winning the KHL Rookie of the Month in September, his playing time decreased dramatically.

However, in a recent interview with RG writer Marco D’Amico, SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg made it clear that Demidov’s playing time has been and will continue to be based on merit.

“We’re considering the opinions of our colleagues [in Montreal], but we are focused on our own needs, our tactics, and how our players are feeling,” Rotenberg told D’Amico. “There are a lot of factors. We are no less interested than Montreal in making sure that Ivan – just like our other young players – develops well. Players like Demidov are the future of Russian hockey.”