Morozov Agrees to Stay in Russia

If there was a player in the Russian Super League this past season who generated similar buzz to Evgeni Malkin, it was Alexei Morozov. Morozov, who won the scoring title along with 6 other regular season and playoff awards, was rumored to want to come back to the NHL. As recently as last week there were news stories circulating in the Pittsburgh area that Alexei would be interested in a return to the Pittsburgh Penguins and GM Ray Shero was interested in having him.....at the right price. Well that has all become a moot point, Morozov has agreed to a 3 year contract with Ak Bars Kazan, the team he just won the league championship with. The contract does not have an escape clause that would allow Morozov to pursue lucrative offers in free agency. The Pittsburgh Penguins will retain his NHL rights until July 1st.

Morozov's representative in the United States, Jay Grossman has told Russian Hockey Digest that he was not aware of any contract for his client. Morozov was recently interviewed by the same source, and answered when asked about a possible return to the NHL: "Yes. Indeed, up until a certain moment I badly wanted to return to the NHL. But recently, I realized that I didn't want to move anywhere. I don't want to suffer from nostalgia (laughing)! And Kazan', to be honest, is where my soul lies. Here I have an excellent coach and great teammates. The management of Ak Bars - true professionals. During my whole tenure at Ak Bars, I was not faced with a single problem. There lies the answer to your question."

So, the Grey Hound will be tearing up the Super League for the next three years. Alexei was an enigma for many years in Pittsburgh, and it is nice to see he has found his niche.