Even after the start of the KHL season, a considerable part of famous free agents did not receive contracts, and now, without epidemics of injuries or outright failures at the start, it will be more difficult for them to do so. Against the background of the fact that not only 33-year-old players, but also 30-year-old players of the level of Nikolai Prokhorkin and Nikita Soshnikov remain on the sidelines, the name of Nikolai Kulemin was not mentioned at all. It might seem that the 38-year-old forward had completely finished his career, and suddenly signed a contract with Ottawa, albeit a trial one! What is happening?
These players are still without a contract:
Why nobody needs him? 7 famous KHL players who lost their jobs at the start of the season
When looking at NHL contracts, one can usually find a heterogeneous audience. For example, a year ago, Peter Holland arrived at the Colorado training camp, having missed the previous season and having played very poorly in the KHL. The reason for such signings is clause 15.4 of the Collective Agreement. It stipulates that at least eight “veterans” must participate in each pre-season game. This status is granted to players who played 30 games as a starter in the previous season, to players with one hundred NHL games in their career, as well as to players selected in the first round of this year’s draft.
Nikolai Kulemin
Photo: Dmitry Kulinich, photo.khl.ru
NHL coaches generally avoid fielding the strongest teams for the preseason and experiment a lot with young, farm players (especially on the road), so these players are needed in tryouts to adapt to the league rules. However, there are also those on trial who have a real chance of making it onto the team, but there are doubts that Kulemin will get it. The player has not appeared on the ice in an NHL game since 2018, and Nikolai spent his last few seasons with the Islanders as a fourth-line player.
This transfer, in addition to gaming reasons, can also be explained by everyday reasons. Several years ago, Kulemin applied for Canadian citizenship, and the wording of his documents caused a huge scandal: “Russia has given me a lot, but I consider Canada my home, my children deserve the opportunity to live in a free and democratic country.” All this happened against the background of the fact that the player received 500 million from Magnitogorsk for three years. Kulemin in an interview with “Championship” said: “Obtaining citizenship implies that you want to live in this country, plus you need to provide all the necessary documents. Otherwise, why do you need citizenship? Just come and go?
Interview with Kulemin from 2018:
Exclusive
“I never said a bad word about Russia.” Kulemin – on Canadian citizenship
From a purely hockey point of view, one possible option is Artyom Anisimov, who spent a lot of time scouting Philadelphia and then spent a season at their farm club. Ottawa has very few experienced hockey players on its farm and generally does not have a single player over 30. Kulemin, in theory, can become a guy and play on an AHL contract – the forward earned enough in the NHL, and the aforementioned generous deals in the KHL also helped improve his financial situation.
In addition to Kulemin, several other notable hockey players signed viewing contracts.
Tyler Johnson (Boston)
After the collapse of the legendary triplets, Tyler turned out to be the weakest link in the trio: he spent the second championship playoffs on the fourth line, and before the start of that season he was drafted on waivers. It is difficult to evaluate Johnson’s performance against Chicago, which is melting all the polymers, but even as a clear outsider with limited playing time, he scored almost 0.5 points per game. Boston desperately needs depth in its roster for little money while Jeremy Swayman’s new contract is still up in the air.
Jakub Vrana (Washington)
In 2021, trading Vrana for Anthony Mantha seemed like a win for both sides, but in the end, both ends failed. This hit Washington the hardest, as the club was giving away draft picks from above. In the segments, Vrana looked extremely intriguing, but these segments were not enough: first he was prevented by a shoulder injury, and then the Czech ended up in a player assistance program (some sources hinted at drugs). After this, Detroit not only said goodbye to Vrana, but also dispersed the entire Czech diaspora. The attempt to restart in St. Louis was unsuccessful; in the spring, the forward was not included in the roster for the World Cup selection, and now the last chance in the NHL is given by the club that recruited Yakuba.
Jakub Vrana
Photo: Paul Sancya/AP/TASS
Tyson Barry (Calgary)
In just a year and a half, Barry has gone from being the main defender of the NHL’s deadliest team to a man who sits without offers all summer. Unfortunately, this often happens with defenders who are older than Barry – one can remember how quickly the career of PK collapsed. However, it is not clear why Barry, who is preparing for a complete restructuring of Calgary, needs him: perhaps the Lights, if the review is successful, will trade one of the defenders. Perhaps Barry will sign for another club – players on trial do not always choose the team that invited them.
Tanner Pearson (Vegas)
The forward, who won a Stanley Cup with Los Angeles and was part of the iconic 1970s team with Carter and Toffoli, somehow disappeared after being traded from California. Perhaps the biggest news associated with Pearson during this time was that current Automobilist forward Brendan Laipsik called his wife fat, for which he paid with a spot in the league. Even considering the fact that Tanner missed almost all of the season before last due to injury, he is seen as a good option to improve depth – Vegas has always valued the executors of its scheme.
Nikolai Knyzhov (Pittsburgh)
A couple of years ago, Knyzhov’s story was surprisingly beautiful: a defender who had not really played in the KHL, jumped to the San Jose team when the club had not yet lost seasons. “I am a defensive defender, but at the same time the coaches pay attention to my good skating. They say that I see the site well and, if possible, I can connect later,” Knyzhov stated. Unfortunately, the defender missed the entire 2021/2022 season due to an infection he received after surgery – after that, Knyzhov played mainly on the shark farm. Someone was waiting for Nikolai to return to Russia, but SKA, whose roster is already replete, has rights there.
