Frans Tuohimaa was the last Finnish player to leave his KHL club. Player agent Tomi Haula bets that foreign players may not be seen at KHL in the coming seasons.
The mass exodus of Finnish and other foreign players from KHL due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a hot topic in the World of Hockey.
Earlier in the week, a Finnish player’s agent confirmed to Sports that a lot of European players want to leave Russia.
On Friday it was reported that Salavat Yulayev Ufa goalkeeper Juha Metsola as well as attackers Teemu Hartikainen and Sakari Manninen have left the club, as has the goalkeeper of Metallurg Magnitogorsk Jussi Olkinuora.
The teams that survived the KHL playoffs included 17 Finnish hockey players. According to current information, at least six of them have left or are trying to leave Russia. In addition, five Finnish hockey players representing the Chinese KRS Vanke Rays Shenzhen play in the Russian women’s league.
Below you can see the Finns who survived the playoffs.
“No universal rule” for players to leave
Experienced player agent, CEO of Puck Agency Finland Tomi Haula says to Urheilu that KHL ‘s Finnish players are probably in very different situations depending on the club.
– At least now Ufa seemed to be behaving humanly. There may be a lot to do with that Arif Hairedin has lived in Ufa for a long time and got the boys out of there, Haula inches.
Hairedin has acted as an agent for Sakari Manninen, one of Ufa’s Finnish players.
Haula cannot elaborate on the sanctions that have threatened players, with the exception of a rumor that had previously circulated in public that two-thirds of the season’s salary would be withheld from the player.
– There is no universal rule for that, Haula believes.
– Of course we are trying to get out by peaceful means to get permission to leave, but it is not really coming from this direction. If it was just about paying off one month’s salary, if it were that easy, I would leave right away. It is also about non-financial risks, Tuohimaa, who is already on her way home, said earlier this week.
– There are also clubs that are very understanding and work matter-of-factly. And then there is a lot of so-called Old Testament activity. In practice, they have threatened players with various actions that they will not get out of, and downplaying the current severity of the crisis, Niiranen told MTV.
Tomi Haula does not believe that foreign players will be seen at KHL in the coming seasons. He guesses the series will turn things around so that foreign players are not taken into the country.
– They say they don’t even take on foreign players. They get this propagandistically translated so that this has been their decision all along, is Haula’s assessment.
Haula believes that not all Finnish players will miss the ongoing KHL playoffs. At the same time, many may wrestle with the idea that continuing to gamble would cause reputational damage.
– But it’s not that simple. There may be players out there who just can’t get away, even if they want to.
Rumors of closing borders added to fears
Another player-agent reached by on Friday wants to appear anonymous because he has not asked permission from the players he represents to comment on the sensitive issue. He believes that more Finnish players will leave Russia, and on a short schedule.
Additional fears have been raised about rumors of a state of emergency for Russia, which would allow, among other things, travel restrictions.
– Rumor has it that Russia would close its borders so that it could not get out or inside. It has put a lot of pressure on the players as well. I think there will be a lot of players out there.
Helsingin sanomat newspaper report on Friday night (switch to another service), no state of emergency was declared, despite rumors. The imposition of a martial law could have led to, among other things, an exit ban for men aged 18-55, travel bans and travel restrictions.
Instead, Russia passed a law to punish the dissemination of false information about the country’s armed forces. Several media outlets have suspended operations in Russia, including the British broadcaster BBC, and public access to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has been restricted.
The office of the player-agent interviewed by currently represents a Finnish KHL player, but more citizens of other countries. The player agent says the players make independent decisions about leaving, but after that, the agents do their best to help the outgoing players go home.
The European Union has closed its airspace to Russian planes.
– The only possibility at the moment is for the player to fly to St. Petersburg. We also have transports from St. Petersburg to cross the border, the player-agent says.
“What ever comes after that or-word”
Sports Expert Topi Nättinen says it ‘s impossible to guess what kind of bureaucracy it takes to leave a club.
– Surely everyone can already see that it is difficult to leave and the terms of the agreements are strict. Of course, each situation is unique to both the club and the player.
Nättinen does not believe that any player would be in danger if danger now meant a physical threat.
– Of course, everyone personally knows all the situations very differently. Someone can weigh various threats with wool and someone takes it very heavily.
– I really wouldn’t talk about any physical danger. It is mainly about how the employment contract works or whether you can leave the country. But if you say, “You can’t leave or …” What ever comes after that word or word, it’s a scary situation.