Alexei Yashin’s NHL comeback: Possibility or negotiating ploy?

It must be that time of the year again. The weather is warm, the pools are crowded and Alexei Yashin's agent is making noise about an NHL comeback. Almost a year to the day from the last time they floated the idea, Alexei Yashin and his agent are talking about the player's return to the League he left in 2007. Last year, Yashin's agent Mark Gandler said the following: "There is a club that is constantly showing interest in him. It is the New York Islanders. Alexei has a great relationship with its owner. That's why if he decides to come back to the NHL, then he will first have negotiations just with [the NYI owner]." The situation is about the same this year. Alexei Yashin's now-former KHL club SKA St. Petersburg decided not to extend a contract with the player, and Yashin is back on the market. He is very highly thought of in the KHL and most probably will have no problem finding a club. KHL outsider Avtomobilist from Pavel Datsyuk's hometown of Ek...