As the NHL Lockout continues, and we clinch to every word of good news that comes across our news tickers, some fans are beginning to take note of how some NHL stars are playing in the international leagues. Of course, there are many notable players like Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos who have not yet made the move to play in Europe, but there remain some mega-talents who are strutting their stuff in Europe. Elite Prospects is doing the dirty work of assembling the stats throughout the different leagues, and according to their numbers, the top scoring NHLer overseas so far?
Damien Brunner.
If you have to look him up on Wikipedia, don’t feel bad. He hasn’t played in an NHL game yet, though he signed in July with the Detroit Red Wings (and is currently playing on the same line with future teammate Henrik Zetterberg).
There are tons of other notable names that pop up in the top 20: Evgeni Malkin (13th), Ilya Kovalchuk (3rd), Jaromir Jagr (12th) and Joe Thornton (19th) just to name a few. Some NHLers have joined forces on the same squads. Malkin has paired up with former teammate and current best friend Sergei Gonchar (if you’ve never YouTubed Malkin’s MVP acceptance speech, he includes a heartwarming thanks to Gonchar). Jaromir Jagr and Jiri Tlusty are playing together for HC Kladno of the Czech League. Even Alex Ovechkin has friends! He’ll be joined by Capitals teammate Nicklas Backstrom for Dynamo Moskva in the KHL.
A word to the wise: Don’t be surprised if some of these players continue to play in Europe even if the NHL gets a new CBA. The KHL has been trying for years to establish itself as a legitimate rival to the NHL, and there will be Russian (and maybe non-Russian) players who will choose to collect a KHL paycheck for 2012-13. Do I see guys like Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar staying in the KHL? No. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see some 2nd tier players decide to stay.
But for now, all we can do is watch, wait and speculate.
Photo Credits: The Majors
