KHL to introduce eligibility criteria for players from Canada and USA

Head of the KHL Alexander Medvedev said that the league intends to put in place requirements for foreign players from the USA and Canada.

Multiple incidents involving North American tough guys, first of all those playing for Vityaz Chekhov, seem to have caused resentment in the KHL.

«We are preparing a decree, which will allow players from Canada and the United States to participate in KHL games only if they meet the league’s criteria (except for those who come here through the draft pick mechanism). The eligibility criteria will, in fact, have a single parameter – the number of games in the NHL. The exact number is still a matter of discussion, but we are thinking about something between 80 and 120 games. This number of games will be enough to judge their qualifications. This won’t apply to the Europeans.»

«This criterion will eliminate the situations like when Vityaz have four tough guys, but for players like Chris Simon the road will in the league be open. So, the clubs will have no more than one tough guy,» Medvedev said to Sovetsky sport.