It would be foolish to think NHL teams will suddenly approach the NHL draft with a new sense of morality or concern for ongoing geopolitical turmoil.
“We’re preparing our lists or organizing our lists as we normally would,” Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said. But three of the NHL’s top 20 scorers last season were Russian and the game’s two best goalies, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin, are Russian. Their teams, and others, aren’t interested in poisoning the atmosphere around these stars or making them uncomfortable.
There were reports Wednesday that Minnesota star Kirill Kaprizov was wanted in his homeland for allegedly buying a military ID to get out of mandatory service, and had fled to the U.S. to avoid possible arrest. Other outlets could not confirm that report. These are unique problems for the NHL. There are no Russians in the NBA, MLB, MLS or NFL. The NHL cut business ties with Russia earlier this year, claiming that represented “millions” in lost revenue, and has paused social media interactions. But NHL teams still covet Russian talent. Only Canada and the U.S. had more players drafted last year than Russia, and this year there are good prospects like Danila Yurov, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Pavel Mintyukov.