KHL champion team Dynamo will try to hire Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin in the event of an NHL lockout, Dynamo general manager Andrey Safronov said Saturday.
The NHL’s collective contract between the league and the NHL Players’ Association is due to expire next month, with no replacement in place, setting the scene for a lockout.
“We will talk with Ovechkin. It will be up to the head coach,” Safronov said.
He added that Leonid Komarov, who left Dynamo to sign for the Toronto Maple Leaves on a one-year deal in May, was likely to return if there is a lockout.
KHL clubs are allowed to register a maximum of five foreign players, and Safronov said the rule would stop the team trying to sign any non-Russian players.
“We’ve already exhausted the foreigner limit,” Safronov said.
“Even if we have such an opportunity, with hand on heart, we don’t need anyone.”
During the last lockout, which forced the cancellation of the 2004-05 season, 78 NHL players went to Russia including such stars as Vincent Lecavalier, Daniel Heatley and Patrik Elias.
