As we discussed at length earlier this year, KHL forwards Vadim Shipachyov and Evgeni Dadonov could be headed to the NHL as soon as next season. The two St. Petersburg players enjoyed excellent seasons and have considered a change to the North American game to see if they can compete at this level and cash in on their prime seasons. Cash is exactly what seems to be on their minds, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest “30 Thoughts” column.
Asking for per-season amounts around $5.5MM and $3.5MM respectively, Shipachyov and Dadonov will come at a high cost to a team looking to upgrade in their top-six. While both have produced at better than a point-per-game pace in the KHL, there is no guarantee that success would translate to the NHL. Playing for the powerhouse St. Petersburg squad alongside Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk has helped improve their games, but both come with an element of risk.
Shipachyov just turned 30, and has never before experienced quite the amount of success he’s found this year skating almost exclusively with Kovalchuk. A deal that stretched into his mid-thirties could easily backfire for a team if his scoring touch is limited at this level. He does however come with a bit more size and strength than his teammate Dadonov, who struggled as a youngster with the Florida Panthers after being drafted in 2007. Dadonov is (exactly) two years younger and comes with reported smaller ask, which will likely give him a wider net of teams interested in his services.
Friedman notes that the Vegas Golden Knights have been previously linked to the pair, which would give the expansion team a big, unknown name to market around for their inaugural season. With owner Bill Foley apparently willing to spend right up to the cap in his first season, making a big international splash like either Russian sniper could be an interesting play as they try to entice new fans.