KHL set to lose NHL stars after lockout deal

Some of the players, who played for Continental Hockey League (KHL) clubs during the lockout in the National Hockey League (NHL) are currently on their way back to North America after it was announced the NHL and players reached a tentative deal Monday. The official site of the KHL reigning champions Dynamo Moscow announced their trio of NHL forwards: Russian Alexander Ovechkin and Swede Nicklas Backstrom both from Washington Capitals and Finnish star Leo Komarov from Toronto Maple Leafs have already left the club. Meanwhile, last season's NHL MVP Yevgeny Malkin, who is playing for his native club Magnitogorsk in the KHL, dismissed rumours he has already bought a ticket to the United States, where he plays with the Pittsburgh Pengiuns saying he was set to wait for an official announcement of the lockout's end. "Some journalists wrote that I've already bought a ticket for Monday's plane to the USA," he said. "But I'm still in Magnitogorsk and I'm gonna wait for the official announcement of the date of the new NHL season." The New Jeresey Devis left winger Ilya Kovalchuk, St Louis Blues right winger Vladimir Tarasenko and Columbus Blue Jackets 'keeper Sergei Bobrovsky, who played for the KHL club Saint Petersburg, have also decided to stay in Russia until the official end of the lockout. "Together with my agent we decided to wait for further developments of the situation before taking any decisions," Bobrovsky, who is expected to play for Saint Petersburg in Kazan on Tuesday, was quoted as saying by daily Soviet Sport. "But it's absolutely clear that we all will go to the United States in the near future." Earlier Monday the NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had pinpointed January 19 as the start date to save a shortened season. The NHL has already cancelled 625 games -- up to January 14 -- just over half the planned schedule that was to have started in October.Source : AFP