Alexander Radulov deserts his Russian club to join Nashville Predators –NHL News
The Nashville Predators officially confirmed on Wednesday, March 21, 2012, the arrival of the Russian, Alexander Radulov, in Nashville and he is likely to start playing for the side later this week.
Predators’ general manager, David Poile, who received the player formally, confirmed his availability to the team following waiver of his suspension, which has come after playing for four seasons for the Eurasia hockey league, the Kontinental Hockey League
(KHL).
He is expected to meet the team’s coach, Barry Trotz, later on Thursday to know if he is going to debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, March 22, 2012 or against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, March 24, 2012.
In any case he will be accompanying the team for the road game to Pittsburgh soon after making himself available for the team.
During his first comments since his arrival in Nashville, the player said:
"I play here two years and remember all the moments. It's good to be back here. I feel good and just looking forward to helping the team to be better. It's a good team. I know it's a young team. I know some guys from it and they're good friends of mine.
I'll do whatever it takes to help the team to do better."
He spoke of the difficulties that he has had with his local Russian club in getting himself released from them to play the National Hockey League (NHL).
The player, who has played the national league in 2007-2008 was suspended over deserting the league to play for his Russian club, but the suspension has now been lifted.
His arrival is seen very timely and is expected to boost the Predators run for the playoffs. The player’s role is going to resume even higher responsibility in the second round.
Predators’ management is apparently upbeat about the player’s arrival and said that he would be crucial to the team’s present season’s efforts.
"The timing was never like it was this year, contractually, which I don't know enough about, and competitively. Everything lined up: contract up, team out of the playoffs. It all lined up for us."
The manager said that he had told the player that the window of opportunity to play in the NHL will be closed for him forever if he signs another deal to play for his club in the KHL.
He admitted that the player had to go through very difficult situation in negotiating and agreeing a deal with his club against the release.
Radulov as part of the deal with his club has forfeited the right to two-third of his salary from the remaining part of his contract to his club. The Russian team was said not to be happy over his release and wanted him to honour his full contract tenure
with them before leaving for the Canada.
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