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NHL Draft: Teams weigh risks of selecting Russian prospects
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FILE - Canada's Connor Bedard (16) scores on Russia goalie Yegor Guskov (29) during the third period of an exhibition hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta, Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, before the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship tournament. Yegor Guskov is one of several Russian goaltenders eligible to be taken in the 2022 NHL draft. - photo by Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP, File
The war in Ukraine has added an increasing level of uncertainty for NHL teams interested in drafting Russia-born prospects because of questions regarding their availability to play in North America. While no team has openly stated it would avoid selecting Russians altogether in the two-day draft in Montreal that opens Thursday, there is the potential of Russia being shut out in the first round for the first time since 2005. “I don’t know if anybody has the answer,” said Seattle general manager Ron Francis, whose team currently has 12 picks over seven rounds, including No.