Big-spending SKA St. Petersburg cannot expect quick success with its policy of hiring famous names, Washington Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov told RIA Novosti on Monday.
Funded by Russian gas giant Gazprom, SKA has assembled a team of acclaimed players, including ex-NHL players Evgeny Artyukhin, Maxim Afinogenov and Denis Grebeshkov, but has been unable to achieve its aim of a first major trophy.
SKA crashed out in the KHL’s Western Conference final with a 4-0 series defeat to Dynamo Moscow, capped with a 6-1 thrashing Tuesday.
“It’s hard to win immediately, here you need time,” Kuznetsov said, when asked about SKA's strategy.
“In the NHL, teams are assembled over decades and then they head for their goals.”
SKA coach Milos Riha may be fired at the end of the season, SKA general manager Alexey Katsatonov told RIA Novosti last week.
The Czech coach had earlier angered the fans by leaving the SKA bench before the end of an earlier defeat to Dynamo, and a group of fans jeered him as left the arena Tuesday, shouting: “There is no place for Riha in St. Pete.”
