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exceptional completion. When you can't go to the talent, the next best thing is having the talent come
to him. By playing against more (and higher quality) NHL shooters, Lack should be able to hone his skills
and confidence enough that he is guaranteed the backup role for the Canucks, after a certain trade has
finally been made.
Any player/prospect in the AHL whose spot on the depth chart is not negatively affected has a chance
during the lockout to wow us and their teams and to fast track their development.
The KHL
Partial lockout benefit: 6/10
Full lockout benefit: +/- 8/10
Of the three leagues presented here, it is likely that many Russian players will play in the KHL, given that
Russian players are more welcome than other NHL imports. It is also likely that the vast majority of them
will come back to play in the NHL. However, there is always a risk that an NHL player, Russian or not, is
poached to that league, at least for the rest of the season. It is considered to be second to only the NHL
in terms of skill level. However, from all accounts, the KHL has a significantly different playing style than
the NHL. In the case of a partial season lockout, it may take players, who are now used to the KHL,
longer to reacclimatize to the NHL rink and style.
If there is a full season lockout, that is another story. In that case, an NHL player could enjoy success, the
playoffs and good competition while still having time to train for the next NHL season. However, NHLers
who sign in the KHL for a full year could potentially be lured back for more of the stardom that they
experienced. If there is any hint of the NHL lockout going for more than one season, there could be a
veritable flood of talent from all nations to the KHL. Thus the plus/minus sign in front of the KHL's full
year lockout rating. Although a player may develop more in the KHL than the AHL, it does not mean that
success (or their new language) will translate to the NHL.
~ Austin Wallace
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