NHL Severs Communication with KHL After Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

The NHL has informed all 32 general managers in a memo Monday that it has severed ties with Russia's Kontinental Hockey League amid the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff.

The NHL directed its teams to "immediately cease all dealings [direct or indirect] with the KHL and KHL Clubs [and all representatives of both], as well as with player agents who are based in and continue to do business in Russia," Seravalli added.

The NHL will continue to respect current and future KHL contracts, according to Seravalli, but it won't be able to" verify contractual status directly."

"We will have only limited contractual information regarding players who are currently or last played in the KHL," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in the memo.

NHL teams can still sign KHL players to contracts, but they must work with the Central Registry to show "independent written evidence demonstrating that the player is entirely free of any and all potentially conflicting contractual obligations in the KHL for 2022-23 and beyond."

The KHL has become a hotspot for some of the best hockey players in the world, some of whom have reached the NHL, including Kirill Kaprizov, Ilya Sorokin and Artemi Panarin.

The NHL's decision to cut ties with the KHL could also have an impact on the 2022 NHL draft and beyond. According to Seravalli, NHL front offices "have expressed concern" about drafting players born in Russia, fearing that the United States and Canada won't grant them work visas.

The NHL announced last week that it was suspending its relationships with business partners in Russia and would not consider the country as a potential location for future league events:

"The National Hockey League condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and urges a peaceful resolution as quickly as possible. Effective immediately, we are suspending our relationships with our business partners in Russia and we are pausing our Russian language social and digital media sites. In addition, we are discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL."

"We also remain concerned about the well-being of the players from Russia, who play in the NHL on behalf of their NHL clubs, and not on behalf of Russia. We understand they and their families are being placed in an extremely difficult position."

The NHL is only the latest organization to cut ties with Russia amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Formula One canceled the Russian Grand Prix, which was set to take place in September, and UEFA moved this season's Champions League final from Saint Petersburg to Paris.