Russian Prospects Head Back To Russia

The NHL has been slowly losing talented players to the KHL.  The top eight scorers in the KHL are all ex-NHL players.  All of them (Maxim Sushinsky, Alexei Yashin, Alexander Radulov, Sergei Zinovjev, Marcel Hossa, Mattias Weindhandl, Patrick Thoresen and Aleksey Morozov) are players who easily hold down NHL jobs.  For the KHL to experience future growth, they must be able to attract top prospects to play in their league (and not the NHL) and they are doing this.  Russian prospects who have not had instant success in the NHL are returning to the KHL.  So far this season, Nikita Filatov of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Viktor Tikhonov of the Phoenix Coyotes have returned to play with CSKA Moscow.  Both of these deals are officially player loans.  These are unhappy NHL players who are missing their homeland and not making as fast progress in the league get a chance to go home.  It is unclear when if ever these players will be returning to the NHL.