Detroit Red Wings center Henrik Zetterberg thinks Russian players will remain in their home country for at least the remainder of the season, even if the NHL lockout ends before that, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan.
Zetterberg, who recently signed with Swiss club Ev Zug, has every intention of returning to the NHL once the lockout is over. However, he wouldn’t say the same of the Russian players, who seem to be more welcomed in the KHL.
“I know for a fact Russians will probably stay. I can’t blame them either. The Russian league treats players a different way. For them to play in their home country and not have these disputes every other year … and they honor the contracts over there. If you sign a deal, that’s the deal you get.”
The Red Wings star went on to say that players won’t hesitate to look for other places to play if the NHL doesn’t want them. It could be only a matter of time before that happens, as a settlement between the league and the NHLPA does not appear likely to happen anytime in the near future.
Zetterberg is the second notable player to recently comment on the possibility of the Russian players staying in the KHL, as Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov uttered similar remarks over the weekend.
This post originally appeared on SBNation.com.
