:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/1803515/135931852.0.jpg)
Having joined Avangard Omsk earlier this month, SK74 is apparently settling in quite nicely with the KHL. He's scoring at a decent clip (5 goals and 2 assists in 6 games), and sounds like he'd prefer to stay over there rather than return to the NHL:
"Let's put it this way - it would be better (for the players) if the lockout continues," Kostitsyn was quoted as saying by Russian daily Sport-Express on Monday.
"Players want a definite answer. If the NHL season is lost - let it be that way. I would then play in Russia for the whole season."
--- The Globe & Mail
Is this a case of Kostitsyn merely following in the footsteps of Alex Ovechkin, who has voiced similar threats to stay in the KHL regardless of whether a new CBA gets struck? Or perhaps a bit of sensationalism by the Russian press, as SK74 goes on to say "he hated life in North America and labelled Columbus the gloomiest city in the States" (well, at least he's got that right).
Kostitsyn signed a 2-year, $6 million contract this summer to avoid salary arbitration, and has generally been well received by the fans during his time here in Nashville. Will an episode like this change their minds?