Malkin: Crosby could play in KHL if NHL season is canceled

We’ve had a host of stories about players making plans in case the lockout stretches deep into what would be the regular season, but the league’s biggest star might be cooking up his own plans.

Pavel Lysenkov of Sovietsky Sport heard from Evgeni Malkin at a charity game in Russia and finds out Sidney Crosby could be bound for Russia if the NHL season is wiped out.

Also Malkin said – Crosby will not play in KHL in 2012. May be after Christmas if all NHL season cancelled.

Consider how ugly it would be for the NHL to have another season lost to a labor dispute. Two seasons in eight years wiped out because they can’t figure out their own system.

Then if you added Crosby, arguably the NHL’s biggest star, playing in the league that considers themselves the NHL’s main competition, that’s about as bad as PR can get.

That’s not to say that Crosby playing in Russia would legitimize the KHL, just that the NHL and NHLPA not being to get out of each other’s way would be costing North American fans a possible season of a healthy Crosby (and Malkin).