NHL Rumors: Pavel Datsyuk considering return to NHL
According to the latest NHL rumors, former Detroit Red Wings center Pavel Datsyuk is pondering returning to the NHL.
A common theme in professional sports as of late has been athletes “returning” home. John Tavares signed with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. A year after Ken Hitchcock got hired by the Dallas Stars, the same team he won a Stanley Cup with, he got hired by his original hometown Edmonton Oilers. According to the latest NHL rumors, there might be another one coming – Pavel Datsyuk.
The former Detroit Red Wings center last played in the league back in 2015-16. Datsyuk left the team and went to the KHL. He currently plays for St. Petersburg SKA, where he has 28 points in 31 games. Datsyuk’s contract expires after this season, both in the KHL and NHL.
Heard some idle chatter that 40-year-old KHLer Pavel Datsyuk might consider a return to the NHL next season but his agent Dan Milstein says: “Every year we sit down and talk about options but (returning to the) NHL isn’t something he has entertained.”
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) December 19, 2018
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A return doesn’t seem overly likely. But it’s interesting that Datsyuk is even considering it. He certainly wouldn’t be the first KHL player to jump ship to the NHL. Recently, Artemi Panarin, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Evgeny Dadonov have done so with a lot of success.
Currently, Datsyuk’s NHL rights are held by the Arizona Coyotes. They control his rights until July 1, 2019, after which he will be a free agent. If Datsyuk is serious about returning, expect to hear some rumblings about teams trying to acquire his rights. Because while he’s old, he’s still the “Magic Man”.
Datsyuk is on record saying he has no desire to play for another NHL team than the Red Wings. However, what if Detroit doesn’t want him back? The two sides did not part on the best of terms.
Also, the Red Wings are rebuilding. It would be quite understandable if they didn’t want a center who’s 41 years old, even if he is a franchise legend. Would Datsyuk even want to play in the NHL if this was the case?
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It’ll be interesting to see how all of this plays out. Though it’s not likely Datsyuk will return to the NHL, especially if the Red Wings don’t want him, crazier things have happened.
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