Alexander Radulov is reportedly looking to return to the NHL and it’s believed quite a few teams are interested. However, that interest might not last too long should the reported contract demands from Radulov prove to be accurate.
The Red Wings are one of the teams believed to be interested and are willing to hand out a contract around $4 million per year.
https://twitter.com/NicholsOnHockey/status/738850272676569088
It turns out Radulov is looking for some big, big money.
https://twitter.com/NicholsOnHockey/status/738850388531515392
The real asking price for Radulov is probably somewhere in the middle, but for him to start at such a high point has to turn a few heads. The Red Wings have been in on him from the start and one would assume with Datsyuk on his way out, another high-scoring Russian isn’t a bad backup plan.
Radulov, one of the top players in the KHL since he left the NHL, is going to need to do some image rehabilitation before trying to swing his weight around. He left in a blaze of glory and is meekly trying to come back into the league as a changed man. He wants superstar money but will need to take a short team-friendly deal to prove he is taking the NHL seriously.
Can both sides accept that? I’ll believe it when I see it, but for now it seems like a lot of work still needs to be done.