Contrary to previous reports, Detroit Red Wings star Pavel Datsyuk will not play for his former Russian team, the KHL's Ak Bars Kazan, and he has not signed a contract, according to Dmitry Chesnokov of Yahoo Sports.
Reports surfaced yesterday that Datsyuk had signed a contract to return to the KHL in light of the NHL lockout, however, those reports were false.
The 2012-2013 NHL season is in jeopardy following the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players association, and the subsequent lockout which began Sept. 16. The KHL will allow each of their teams to add up to three NHL players, so the league may very well become a refuge for locked-out players.
Datsyuk finished last season with the Detroit Red Wings with 19 goals, 48 assists and a plus/minus of plus-21. He also added one goal and two assists in five playoff games.
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