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Russians Expected To Sign NHL-IIHF Transfer Deal

It looks like one of the biggest divisions between the NHL and European Hockey is about ti be closed as Russian Hockey Authorities are expected to sign the NHL-IIHF transfer agreement.

Having failed in their bid to extort great sums of money from NHL teams with the emergence of phenoms Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin, it appears Russian hockey czars are prepared to come in from the cold and sign a transfer agreement with their international colleagues, ESPN.com has learned.

Officials with the NHL, NHL Players’ Association and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and representatives from member nations are expected to sign a new agreement this week at the World Championships in Moscow. The Russians are expected to rejoin the fold after refusing to sign for the past two years.

Under the terms of the new agreement, the payments will be more of a fixed fee as opposed to payments made on the basis of contingencies like whether a player plays in the NHL or in the minors.

The agreement will see the NHL pay between $10-12 million annually to the IIHF. The international body will then distribute the money to member countries based on how many players are selected and brought to North America by NHL clubs. That fee is split equally among the 30 NHL clubs.

Its about time coming, the Russians have fought their players going to the NHL for years, but the , with is the best players want to play against the best players in the world (as well as make the bigger money in the NHL). The Russians have tried to use forced contracts, lawsuits, intimidation and dishonesty to get players to stay in Russia or return to Russia with the failure of those tactics to bring coninuous sucess, they have given in and signed the deal. Now we jus have to wait and see how long this relative transfer peace lasts.

 
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