from Michael Traikos of the National Post,

While the KHL was initially perceived as a talent-poaching threat to the NHL when it opened its operations — according to QuantHockey.com, the number of Russians in the NHL dropped from an all-time high of 73 in 2000-01 to just 29 in 2012-13 — the cases of players leaving are becoming few and far between.

KHL teams are folding. Sponsorships are drying up. And because of a ruble that is now worth .65 cents on the U.S. dollar — it has lost 50 per cent of its value since the start of 2014 because of plummeting oil prices and sanctions due to the conflict in Ukraine — players are no longer making the kind of money that they once were. In some cases, they are not even getting paid.

“They were stealing from our families while operating and preparing the club for the upcoming season by signing new players,” Canadian-born goaltender Mark Dekanich, who played for Medvescak Zagreb, said in an email to Postmedia News. “All who did not return to play for Medvescak are in the same situation.”

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