Joined: 27 Sep 2003
Location: Home Sweet Home Posts: 6174
Posted:
Oct 19, 2006 3:36 pm
Just a quick question about Malkin. With Metallburg already filing a lawsuit, is he going to play while the battle goes on, or does he have to stop playing and wait until everything is resolved? I just read an article that they filed already, and they're waiting for the Penguins to see it.
Just a quick question about Malkin. With Metallburg already filing a lawsuit, is he going to play while the battle goes on, or does he have to stop playing and wait until everything is resolved? I just read an article that they filed already, and they're waiting for the Penguins to see it.
He will play. I remember this from when the story broke. Jim, please correct me if I am wrong. Anyone in Russia is allowed to legally break any contract if they provide a two week notice. Now, of course they are protected if Malkin comes back to the league, they have his rights, but according to International law, he is free and clear for two reasons. Number one, he abided by Russian law, and number two, there is no agreement with the Russian elite leagues and the NHL. Now, the reason that there is not a contract between the two leagues is because the Russians refuse to do so, because they want the ability to sue in an International format. I just told you why he is free, and no one understands why the Russians are not compliant towards signing a deal? My guess is that these are some suspect characters who are used to strong arming anyone they come into contact with.
So to answer your question, yes you are safe owning him. Jim please correct me if I am wrong because I am going off memory.
As you can see, he feared for his life when he first defected.
Edit: If the Russians were to sign a deal, they would receive compensation when their players got nabbed.
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Jim Meyerriecks 500 Baby! Way to go Marty!
Joined: 09 Apr 2002
Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1710
Posted:
Oct 20, 2006 12:50 am
You're on the money Shaun. Malkin gave two weeks notice, which (sadly... lol) allows him to leave the Russian Superleague according to their laws. As for the reason that the Russians have yet to sign the pact with the NHL, it has nothing to do with the ability to sue the league when situations like this (and there are bound to be more in the near future) occur, but so that they can negotiate, much as Japanese baseball teams do with MLB.
The pact calls for somewhere in the vicinity of $200,000 American that the NHL must pay the franchise that they take a player from, and is something that they have signed with just about every other big hockey nation in the world. However, Russia wants to have negotiating rights that would allow teams to auction a player off to the highest bidder, much like the Seibu Lions are about to do with Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Honestly, it's the Russian Superleague (run predominantly by the Russian Mafia) that has done this to itself. Rather than taking the easy $200,000, they now have nothing to show for letting Malkin walk because they've gotten too greedy.
