According to reports out of Russia, Detroit Red Wings captain Pavel Datsyuk is expected to sign a two-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL after the 2016 World Championships conclude.
The report, courtesy of www.sovsport.ru, states the following…
The captain of the Russian national hockey Pavel Datsyuk will continue his career in Petersburg SKA.
According to sources, 37-year-old hockey player will sign a two-year contract with the St. Petersburg CSKA after the World Cup-2016.
Rumors that Datsyuk had planned to leave the Red Wings and play in his native country of Russia surfaced prior to the 2015-16 regular season ending. He later confirmed those suspicions by telling the Free Press “I’m thinking I go home after this season. I may not be done with hockey, but it is hard to say. I think I am done playing in the NHL.”
Datsyuk’s departure, if he does indeed sign with SKA, leaves a large hole in the Red Wings lineup. Aside from trying to replace his production, they’ll also be on the hook for his $7.5 million cap hit.
Update: Datsyuk’s Agent Denies Report of Contract with SKA
Shortly after the report from sovsport.ru, Datsyuk’s agent Dan Milstein refuted the idea of his client agreeing to any sort of terms with SKA. Milstein told mlive.com…
I know for a fact that Pavel has not discussed a contract while playing for the national team in Russia. I spoke with him to confirm this again. For a fact we don’t have a contract with anybody (Russian team) right now.
It isn’t uncommon for a player’s agent to squash reports of this type until a deal is officially announced. This is certainly a situation to monitor as the IIHF World Championships wind down.
Datsyuk has played 953 career NHL games spanning from 2001-2016. The 37-year old has amassed 314 goals and 918 total points, and has two Stanley Cup Championships on his resume.