CSKA eyes to strengthen squad with Radulov

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Published time: June 14, 2012 13:25
Edited time: June 14, 2012 19:54

CSKA Moscow have acquired the rights for star forward Aleksandr Radulov. The Armymen lured this year’s KHL MVP from his old team Salavat Yulaev, and signing a contract with him now seems just a matter of time.

Radulov has been an unrestricted free agent in North America after seeing out his NHL contract at the Nashville Predators and is reportedly a target for the New York Rangers, CSKA and KHL’s fat cats SKA St Petersburg.

CSKA General Manager Sergey Fedorov stressed Wednesday, that the club plans to finalize the deal shortly.

Radulov played two years of his three-year non-negotiable NHL entry contract in Nashville before returning to Russia. This year’s KHL regular season MVP rejoined the Predators in March 2012 after Salavat were eliminated from the Gagarin Cup, but had a tangle with the management over discipline and was suspended for two games, leaving his future with the club in doubt.

CSKA was recently bought by the Russian state oil giant Rosneft. The company now plans to return the Soviet hockey leaders to winning ways. CSKA won 32 titles in the Soviet era but finished 18th of 23 teams in the KHL last season and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.