Ladies and gentlemen, Alexander Radulov is going back home to Russia. With one year still remaining on his contract with the Nashville Predators, the 22-year old Russian sniper, and Nizhni Tagil native, was seduced by a lucrative, three-year deal from Salavat Yulaev Ufa of Russia's new Continental Hockey League (KHL) which replaced the former Russian Super League.
The news of Rad's signing was a big shock to hockey fans and hobbyists alike. While it will be a stinky, hockey-starved offseason for Rad collectors (like yours truly), the stench no doubt pales in comparison to the foul one that's in store for Nashville GM David Poile this summer.
Just imagine what is going through the mind of the Predators brain trust who were expecting their emerging superstar to arrive at training camp in September primed to score 40 goals.
Let me be the first to say, this just ain't cool. Rad was not only a treat to watch on the ice but a bigger treat to collect. Just last week I won a few Rad cards on eBay (the Red Light District for puckheads looking for their fix of game-used memorabilia, autos, inserts and parallels).
My winning lot included a 07-08 Hot Prospects Hot Materials, a slick 07-08 Hot Prospects Red Hot /100, and a beautiful 3-color UD Sweet Stitches /299. All three of these pieces were hand-picked for my PC, with no intentions of trade or resale.
Although I am not in denial like David Poile and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, who believe (or hope) there is a decent chance the IIHF will instruct the KHL to void the contract Rad inked with Ufa, I am hoping Alex has a change of heart and continues to work in the NHL so I can continue collecting a player who has some of the nicest looking product in the hobby.
If Rad is hell-bent on Russia (and from various accounts he has anywhere from 13-to-20 million reasons to be), the end result may be his banishment from future IIHF tourneys and an unlikely return to the NHL. Unfortunately, in that case, some of his book values may to drop to the level of his older brother Igor -- the talented and enigmatic, former Chicago Blackhawk.
Luckily Radulov is a PC staple of mine or KHL founder Alexander Medvedev and his comrades at Salavat Yulayev Ufa would be receiving a PayPal invoice for the floundering Rad stock I recently invested in.
Post-meal fortune cookie reads: "He who collects cards for riches, dies a poor virgin."EDIT: Rad's signing with Ufa in Russia already has some of his product selling rather cheaply. Here is another 07-08 Hot Prospects Hot Materials I picked up for my PC on the Bay with a BO that was 68.71% under the BIN price.
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