NHL Talent Increasingly Eyes KHL as Strategic Alternative
AI-generated image · US National Wire
From veteran stars to AHL MVPs, players are bypassing North American minor leagues for lucrative opportunities in Russia.
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is increasingly serving as a destination for NHL-caliber talent seeking alternatives to the American Hockey League (AHL), as Sports Illustrated first reported. According to the outlet, the KHL is viewed as sitting between the NHL and AHL in terms of both pay and overall talent.
Recent moves highlight this trend among different tiers of players. Sports Illustrated reports that former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kevin Hayes, 34, signed a one-year deal for the 2026-27 season with AK Bars Kazan. Hayes previously played 805 career NHL games and saw his $50 million contract expire following a season where he recorded four goals and four assists in 28 games.
Beyond established veterans, the KHL is attracting top minor-league performers. Sports Illustrated notes that Andrew Poturalski, the 2024-25 AHL MVP who played for the San Jose Barracuda, signed with Avangard Omsk in 2025 after being released from a $1.6 million contract with the San Jose Sharks.
Reporting from The Hockey News, cited by Sports Illustrated, indicates that 30 players who spent a significant portion of the 2024-25 season in the AHL signed with KHL teams for the 2025-26 season. This group included 14 former college players, such as Brandon Biro (AK Bars Kazan), Rhett Gardner (CSKA Moskva), and Rocco Grimaldi (SKA St. Petersburg).
One driving factor is the AHL's restrictive veteran rule, which Sports Illustrated reports limits teams to dressing a maximum of six players aged 25 or older per game (excluding goaltenders) to maintain the league's developmental focus. This makes the KHL a more viable professional option for older players. The league's reach is expansive, featuring 22 teams primarily in Russia, with additional teams in China, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.