While not something the NHL has to concern themselves with too heavily at the moment, several former KHL players have been returning to their overseas league of late.
With respect to the Flames, specifically, they have lost three players in the past couple of months to the KHL as Anton Babchuk, Danny Taylor, and most recently Roman Cervenka have all fled to Europe. Although the above mentioned were not exactly impact players for Calgary, Cervenka was a player many had hoped would stick around as he began to develop chemistry with guys like Hudler and Baertschi. There seems to be a debate coming out of these recent KHL signings; Would the mid-leveled European players much rather play at home than try and further their career in the NHL?
Now, most will say that any former NHL player who would go to the KHL would only do so because they simply could no longer make it in the NHL. Well, that isn’t so much the case anymore with guys like Cervenka and recent Toronto agitator, Leo Komarov. Both players established themselves to an extent in just one year in the NHL, and have further gained the respect from many fans for what they brought to their teams. I do not personally feel that each player left because of contractual issues; rather I feel these players are leaving due to the fact that they simply enjoy one league more than the other.
Take Cervenka for example. He was brought in to the Flames organization due to a lack of depth at the center position. While he rarely played center throughout his first year, he did play alongside former Czech mate Juri Hudler and young up-and-coming star Sven Baertschi where he found success. His play making abilities and skating were certainly NHL worthy, although he lacked a little in the defensive and physical areas of the game - something a good coach can work on.
The problem with Cervenka, as it seemed to me, was the language barrier in addition to the culture change he experienced. Playing away from his family, in a new city where very few speak his language (especially teammates and coaching staff) certainly makes it rather difficult to enjoy playing for an organization like the NHL.
Additionally, and most recently, we have Leafs forward Komarov who had a fan pleasing debut with the Leafs and is now looking to move back to the KHL. Many will argue that he is a replaceable player and that, outside of his hits, he was not worth a whole lot to the team. Well, I disagree. Although he may not have flattened guys to the ice resulting in a spot on one of TSN’s top 10 hits segments, he kept opposing players on their toes and would be a pain to play against.
Being constantly hit by the opposing team’s 3rd and 4th lines certainly wears you down and often causes you to make mental mistakes when you’re more worried about avoiding a hit than clearing the puck. Point is – the Leafs may lose out on a guy they had because he would rather rejoin his former KHL club than resign in the NHL.
As mentioned, this begs the question - Is this a potential precursor to bigger problems for the NHL with European players? Is there a need for the league to be more, “European friendly” to ensure they will always have the best available to them? Again, I understand the players mentioned so far are not your top line players…but the discussion which will ensue is worthy just the same. As more and more players express their discomfort with or reasons for leaving the NHL, perhaps these notions begin to settle within the minds of younger Euro players who have yet to decide whether or not to join the NHL.
What do you guys think? Does the NHL need to find other ways to be welcoming to players from overseas, or is this just a few rare cases which has no bearing on potential new stars from joining our beloved league?
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As Steven Hindle wrote this morning, there is a newly founded program called the Dskate Hockey Program which is geared to hockey families living with Type 1 Diabetes. As a type 1 diabetic myself, I know the struggles behind playing competitive sport with this disease as I was often at a disadvantage when my blood sugars were not perfect. Though I had perfect control of my diabetes and went on to play some high levels of hockey and soccer, my experience was much more challenging than most other kids/adults I’ve played with or against.
The inaugural Dskate Hockey Program will take place this August 6-9 at the Milton Sports Center in Milton, Ontario and will offer boys and girls living with type 1 diabetes a chance to grow their game and expand their knowledge of diabetes and diabetes management.
Even if you do not live in Ontario and cannot attend or take part in this program, spreading the word would be important to those trying to make a difference for kids with diabetes who want to play hockey as badly as their healthy classmates/friends.
To learn more about the Dskate Hockey Program, please visit
dskatehockey.ca or you can send an email to
[email protected].
Thanks for reading!
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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