While it’s still not clear how the NHL’s decision to forego the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang will affect the contract negotiations of certain free agents already in the league, it has now officially claimed its first victims overseas. In a piece from AFP published this morning on Yahoo Sports, the agent for Maxim Shalunov and Anton Burdasov has reportedly shut down negotiations with NHL clubs for next season due to their hope to suit up for Russia at the Games.
Shalunov was a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011, and was considering coming to the NHL as recently as February though it was admittedly still an outside chance. His breakout last year in the KHL was followed up by an even more successful campaign, scoring 37 points in 49 games this year. Burdasov on the other hand has no ties to any NHL club, but had 17 goals in 35 games for Omsk and added four more in the playoffs. At just 24 and 25 respectively, both would be attractive pieces to NHL clubs.
Now, when agents make claims like this it is always good to take them with a grain of salt, as it could easily be a negotiating tactic or saving face for a client who overestimated his market. Neither player would be a lock for the Russian Olympic team even if no NHL players went, making it a little suspicious. Their relative youth and strong play though does make it noteworthy, as each could have provided an interesting option to clubs next season.