TSN:
The Moscow Dynamo website reports that Montreal Canadiens blueline prospect Pavel Valentenko has signed a three-year deal with the KHL club.
The news comes just after Valentenko’s AHL team – the Hamilton Bulldogs – gave the 21-year-old an indefinite leave to attend to family matters back in Russia. A Canadiens spokesman said the team was unaware of the signing.
”We didn’t have a place for him here in the short term, but in the long term, it was different,” coach Guy Carbonneau told The Canadian Press in Minnesota, where the Canadiens were to play the Wild on Thursday night.
”He was in the mix with the other young defencemen in the organization like Ryan McDonough, Yannick Weber, P.K. Subban, David Fischer, Mathieu Carle and Alexei Yemelin.”
Valentenko was Montreal’s fifth pick (139th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-2, 214-pound blueliner played 61 games with the Bulldogs over the last two seasons, tallying 18 points and 58 penalty minutes.
It marks the second time that a player in the Canadiens’ system has returned to Russia. The club lost forward Alexander Perezhogin to Ufa Salavat two summers ago.
RDS: Valentenko aurait signé à Moscou
Habster:
If this report is true, then the Canadiens have lost a good prospect and probably will have a harder time convincing players like Maxim Trunev and Alexei Emelin to leave the KHL (you can be sure that Valentenko will give his opinion to both players when they meet in the KHL).
Granted, the KHL is not NHL caliber hockey but the money a young player can make is roughly two or three times more than they would receive with an NHL entry level contract.
I guess Pavel Valentenko was discouraged by his slow progress within the Canadiens system and was getting home sick. By all accounts, he was happy to be getting the opportunity to play in North America and had a solid AHL rookie season with the Bulldogs last year.
Let’s hope the report is false and/or he hasn’t closed the door on the NHL after the three years are done. I’m not totally sure if he remains the property of the Canadiens after the three year contract has expired (I believe he remains property of the Canadiens similar to the Perezhogin situation), I’ll have to do some further researching to find out!!! I also wonder if Valentenko’s NHL entry level contract is part of the gentlemen’s agreement between the NHL and KHL, whereupon each league respects the other’s contracts.
With all that being said, I hope young Mr. Valentenko understands the repercussions of his actions on his potential career within the Canadiens organization. His NHL window of opportunity within the Canadiens organization will close even tighter with this decision as there are tons of talented, young defensemen in the Habs system who will surely move up the depth chart during Valentenko’s three year KHL contract. Here’s hoping Bob Gainey and Pavel’s agent can make him understand the end results of his actions.
If true, this is a significant blow to the Canadiens. Not because Valentenko is the prospect with the most potential, because he isn’t. But because Valentenko is the most NHL-ready of the defensemen currently in Hamilton. And because he has a brand of game that is different. Valentenko plays a very physical game…the type of guy that opposing players hate to play against. He also won the hardest shot honours last year in the AHL.
Habster, Pavel may have made his decision for any of the reasons you list and may be a combination of many. But let me add another reason. Recently, it may have become abundantly clear to Valentenko and his agent that the coach of the Canadiens would not give him a fair shot to crack the Canadiens line-up. Ryan O’Byrne is a much better defenseman than Valentenko and look at the unfair treatment he has been receiving from Carbonneau. Valentenko, O’Byrne and the rest of the Canadiens roster know that Brisebois’ productive career is over, and has been for some time. Yet the coach continues to play him to the cheers of the francophone press.
I don’t know if this was part of Valentenko’s decision-making process. But I do know for a fact, that Carbonneau’s promotion of Brisebois and Latendresse over more highly skilled players is a topic of conversation around the league. This decision can only reinforce the notion that non-francophone players do not get a fair shot from the current Canadiens coach (and the Montreal media). It is a message that Gainey encounters from agents each time he tries to pursue an available free agent.
In addition, all eyes now turn to Alexei Yemelin, who has been described as the best defenseman not playing in the NHL. It will be interesting to see if the ‘Carbo chill’ will also have an impact on Yemelin’s decisions about his future.
Valentenko’s reasoning is simple and logical, if he can’t play in the NHL, the KHL is the next best, and next best paying league in the world. I have no problem with his decision, and don’t think it means that he is lost forever to the Habs. The KHL is still in it’s infancy, and there are no gaurantees that it will continue to be able to afford the contracts being given. Montreal management did not seem to hinder his decision, reasoning that it was better to part on good terms. They recognize the reality of the situation, and in truth, Pavel will develop better in Russian than he would in Hamilton. So far as I know they would retain his playing rights for the forseeable future as far as North America is concerned.
Rob, I agree with your point about Valentenko’s reasoning. My concern is: why did a promising prospect in the Canadiens organization get the message that “he can’t play in the NHL”?
Speculation is that it is related to roster decisions by the head coach and that is not something that is healthy for this organization.
Rocket & Rob,
Both of you make somme great points about the Valentenko situation!!
Rob, I disagree with "Pavel will develop better in Russian than he would in Hamilton" statement.
Pavel's style of play would be better served and further developed in the AHL where the referees allow more hitting and physical play than in the Russian leagues.
Alexei Emelin development has suffered over the past two seasons for the exact same reason. He can't play or develop his physical style of play because the KHL/RSL referees are constantly sending him to the penalty box for terrible/borderline calls which aren't infractions here.
But we already know that Valentenko can play a tough, physical game. Better that he develops his skating and puck skills on the bigger European ice surfaces against superior competition.
Rob,
It will be hard for him to further develop his skills from the penalty box!!
Playing on a bigger ice surface doesn’t neccesarily help improve a player’s skating, especially a defenseman who is taught to protect the center of the ice in the defensive zone. On the larger surface, defensemen can allow the forwards to enter the defensive zone as long as they remain on the outside thus there is less skating or chasing on a larger ice surface.
That’s why the agrument of bringing larger ice surfaces to the NHL to open up the game is a myth…..even Pierre McGuire and other hockey pundits agree with this assessment.
Check the boxscores from the various European leagues (including the KHL) and you’ll see that they score even less goals than in the NHL.
Anyhow, I hope your right about young Mr. Valentenko as it would be ashame if he regressed during those three years in the KHL.
Comments are closed.