KHL challenges Filatov signing

Here we go. You just knew it would get ugly.

Hockeybuzz's Bill Metzer is reporting the following:

"On Friday, Continental Hockey League president Alexander Medvedev said that he believes Salavat Yulaev Ufa's signing of Alexander Radulov and the Columbus Blue Jackets' signing of 2008 first-round pick Nikita Filatov fell beyond the boundry lines of the NHL's verbal agreement with the various European Hockey Federations not to sign contracted players.

"However, with the IIHF investigating the Radulov signing and requesting the KHL void Radulov's contract, the KHL has struck back. It has asked the IIHF to investigate Filatov's contractual status with CSKA Moscow...

"So here's where things stand: Filatov and Columbus insist the player was a free agent, nothing was or is owed to CSKA and his signing was entirely legal. While the NHL has not made a statement specific to Filatov's situation, it's pretty clear the league believes the signing to have been legal under the terms of NHL rules, the no-poaching understanding and KHL rules.

"If the IIHF rules that Filatov's signing was illegal, it will request the NHL to void his deal in lieu of CSKA agreeing to release the player. Otherwise, Filatov faces a ban from playing for Russia at the World Junior Championships. Things will also be extremely messy in getting Filatov cleared to play OHL hockey for Sudbury without an approved transfer. He could also play in the AHL for the Syracuse Crunch and accept a suspension from playing for the Russian national team."

Shades of the Zherdev situation right? This time though Filatov made it crystal clear to anyone who would listen he wanted to come over to North America as soon as possible. Unlike Zherdev who fell out of favor with his Russian team and decided to bolt mid-season.

Filatov is clearly being used as a pawn here. I have yet to hear anything on the Russian kid Phoenix drafted 28th overall in Tikhonov—in fact Phoenix has even signed him.

So where to from here? I would imagine this thing is now in the NHL's legal departments hands. There is some obvious head-butting going on between the NHL and the KHL and I don't see that slowing down anytime soon.

The real shame in this whole mess is Filatov. The kid is stuck in this middle of this and all he wants to do is come and play in the best league in the world.

Quite frankly if he's as dedicated as he says to coming over I'm not sure what can stop him. If the NHL (not IIHF) voids his contract that is probably the only thing, but I doubt the threat of not playing in the WJCs will deter him.

This right here is why he fell to 6th overall. If the Jackets can navigate through it and get this kid over by August that will be a major hurdle cleared. If they can't then this picks starts looking a lot riskier. Lots or work and mud sligging to be done before them unfortunately.

Plent of more to come on this story I'm sure. Hey, it will give us plenty of fodder until training camp right?

-LTL