From the interview you will learn:
“We are not offering Gusev a cosmic salary”
– How is Dynamo Moscow preparing for the season?
– On July 13-14, the team will undergo a medical examination, the guys will slowly gather. On July 15 we leave for Nizhny Novgorod for our traditional gathering. The main work will begin there, bilateral meetings will take place.
– That is to say that the whole team should be reunited on July 15?
Yes, we got on the train and left.
– And if Nikita Gusev, whom you are waiting for, does not decide to move to Dynamo before this date?
We discussed this point with his agents. It is important for us that Nikita decides before the start of training camp. Gusev keeps that in mind.
– Can Gusev become the most expensive player in the KHL? Or do you have a low budget team?
I wouldn’t say low budget. But we have a certain price cap that we cannot exceed. We offer Gusev absolutely adequate money depending on his level of play. There are no space figures.
– How important is such a player for Dynamo Moscow in terms of branding? Will sweater sales skyrocket?
– Everyone knows that Gusev is a great master and an excellent scorer. Look at his stats for many seasons in the KHL. Nikita is a star player in our league, and his eventual arrival will attract fans even more actively. We understand it very well, our marketing, our leaders know it. It’s an additional audience – in addition to the fact that Nikita Gusev is just a good hockey player.
“Swedes and Finns don’t want to go to the KHL”
“What’s the situation with Eric O’Dell?” Last season, he scored 31 (16+15) points in 35 games for Dynamo, adding 7 (5+2) points in six playoff games.
O’Dell is a free agent now. And everything will depend on the limit of foreigners. We have three people and we will not take the fourth legionnaire. But our defender Brennan Menell is now in the process of getting Russian citizenship. If everything works out in time, we will consider the possibility of attracting an additional foreigner. Eric will be among the candidates.
I understand O’Dell hasn’t signed a contract with anyone yet and is on hold.
– As I heard, he wanted more than 100 million rubles per season. Are Russian clubs ready to give so much money to foreigners?
– Probably, there are teams in the KHL who can give this money. The thing is, there is a limit in salary cap and budgeting issues. As I said, we have a certain price range at Dynamo. And it’s not just a question of money. We don’t want to see an imbalance in the locker room where one player earns 10 million a year and another 100. It would spoil the mood of the team.
We are in contact with Eric and his agent. But we still have to get to the signing of the contract. It all depends on Menell. It’s not so easy – went and became a citizen of Russia. And we won’t leave with four foreigners, it’s 100%.
If all goes well, then O’Dell will sign a contract with us for a perfectly adequate sum in terms of value for money. And I know he has better offers from other KHL clubs.
– How did the American Menell get the desire to get a Russian passport? Maybe Dynamo pushed him to that?
No, of course we couldn’t force it. In November-December, Brennan told us he was ready to extend the contract with Dynamo for at least 10 years. We have reached a timeframe of three years, which is quite optimal. But when the limit on foreign players in the KHL was tightened, we asked Brennan, we can say this jokingly, “Do you fancy getting a Russian passport?”
To which Menell said, “Yes, let’s go, no questions.” I wrote a corresponding application, and the process was started. “” was released to him, the report confirmed. And Brennan said to you, “Yeah, that’s my decision.”
I think that’s a big plus for him too. Because Menell just turned 26 in May. I’m sure he will have a long career in the KHL and he won’t be considered a foreign player. There’s a certain more to Brennan than he ever played for the U.S. national team. That is to say, he does not need to withstand the sports quarantine.
– Menell gets a Russian passport just to avoid the legionnaire limit?
In fact, he has good intentions. There is no personal interest here. As I know, Menell really likes living in Moscow, playing at Dynamo. He is satisfied with everything and has really said he is ready to sign a very long contract in Russia. It is clear that there are certain risks, but it is really his decision. He loves Russia, treats our country well.
Does anything change in the minds of foreigners now? Are they more willing to go to the KHL?
– There is practically no chance now to invite a hockey player from Europe to our league. Swedes, Finns are a little easier with Czechs, but also tough. But the North Americans don’t care, and they’re ready to go to the KHL.
Last season we faced Swedish striker Jakob Lilja. But the contract was terminated with him, and it was the initiative of the hockey player. He was constantly under pressure in his native country, he was reprimanded in the press and his parents wanted their son to come home. It was difficult for Lilja to play in Russia under such circumstances, and he left.
– Now signed a contract in Switzerland.
“There is a difference in mentality here. Canadians and Americans have no problem playing in Russia.
“The minimum task for Dynamo is the semi-final of the Gagarin Cup”
– Based on the NHL Rookie Draft, should this proceeding be referred to the KHL?
– For such big hockey schools as CSKA, Dynamo, Spartak, Magnitogorsk, Ak Bars, Tractor, the draft itself will be a problem. Indeed, in the NHL, the club and the hockey school do not depend on each other. Players are raised in junior and student teams.
And we get it, KHL teams invest in kids as young as five – and then you lose your student in the draft.
Yes, like before, you can protect someone in the KHL Draft. The player was immune. But what kind of draft turns out then? A slightly different design, like in the NHL. I think that in our realities, the North American model project will not work. Or you need to find an algorithm that will suit everyone.
– Please – if you take a Dynamo graduate into the project, you pay compensation in the amount of several million rubles. The amount will depend on the project number.
– You have to look at the amount, of course. This needs to be discussed. On the other hand, I will now take the side of the hockey players. It happens that five or ten talented guys accumulate in the big clubs. But we all understand that one or two will go into Dynamo’s main team. And it will be a great success.
So what will happen to the rest? They can sit and end up with hockey or disappear into the major leagues. They will not become great players, then the draft procedure will be a plus for them, because there is a chance to move to another club.
If we discuss the amount of compensation, which will not be cosmic, but will cover part of the costs, then we can talk about a project in the KHL. This should level the league even further. In the same Far East, hockey schools have been operating for a short time and have a problem with the preparation of juniors.
Thus, the scheme project can be thought out. More importantly, we will have even more player development for the national team and the KHL. As a result, we will have more hockey players.
– Are you expecting anyone from North America after the free agency market opens there?
– Yes, we have a hockey player who is directly dependent on the opening of the NHL free agent market. It’s premature to talk about it, but we’ll see, we’ll wait. I think maybe in the near future there will be information about this.
– What is Dynamo’s official target for the 2023/24 season? If the Blues and Whites reach the second round of the playoffs, where they lose with dignity, will it be good?
– At Dynamo’s board of directors, it was announced that we should reach the conference finals. But now that the pattern has changed, they’ve introduced a crossover playoff. As I understand it, the minimum task is the semi-finals.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
