Now I know why the Avalanche don't have many Europen players

Today, Sergei Zubov signed with the KHL. This is becoming a trend lately; alot of top European players, such as Radulov (NAS), Jagr (NYR), Hudler (DET), Fedorov (WAS), and now Zubov (DAL) have been lured over to this new league.

Remember when European players used to be taken in the 3rd-5th round because no one knew if they'd play in the NHL? Well, those days may soon be returning. Dmitri Kulikov, slated to go as high as 6th in this years draft, fell all the way to 14th because of the turmoil surrounding Russians leaving for the KHL.

I can't really blame older players, like Zubov, who just want to cash out while they can still play, but it's crummy when these young players leave to go over there. Jiri Hudler is a complete idiot, and not only has tarnished his reputation, but may still be "stuck" playing in North America. He filed for arbitration, which shows an intent to play in the NHL next season, but when and signed with the KHL. You can't do that, and looking at the situation, the NHL should win any hearing that takes place.

I've been hoping the Avalanche acquire Nikolai Zherdev, but it's probably not a good idea now that I think about it. He's had off ice issues in the past, and is currently wants more money than his team is willing to pay him. If he becomes a free agent (which will be the case if the Rangers lose the arbitration hearing and decide not to pay Zherdev the awarded amount), I could see him bolting for the KHL as well.