By Habster
It appears that the Canadiens will have to wait another year for their best defensive prospect as its now being reported that Alexei Emelin has signed a contract with AK Bars Kazan according to Pavel Lysenko of Sovietsky Sport. It’s a shame because Emelin is NHL ready and his development will be slowed as the Russian Super League is not as physical as the NHL which is the style that Emelin plays.
The latest Emelin news: Emelin’s North American agent, Todd Diamond appeared to have a deal set with the Canadiens but was unaware that Emelin’s Russian agent had negotiated another deal with AK Bars Kazan of the RSL (which Emelin signed). Diamond told the Team 990 that he and Canadiens management were caught off guard when they found out about the deal with AK Bars Kazan. It would appear Alexei Emelin is not too eager to start his career with the Habs or at least not yet. AK Bars has been known to throw millions of dollars at their Russian players which may be the case here. This is the same team that signed Vincent Lecavalier and other NHL stars to million dollar contracts during the lockout year.