This situation concerns another of the Russians I really wanted to see this season- Alexander Semin.
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/bmarshall63/semin_profile.html
"A clause in Semin's entry-level contract stipulated that should Semin not make the Capitals' roster, he could return to Russia if that were deemed best for his continued development, by mutual consent of player and team. Management believed that Semin would benefit from the more physical play that is prevalent in North American hockey, and only reluctantly agreed to this clause. Yet at the end of the 2003-04 season, Washington persuaded Semin to join the AHL's Portland Pirates. There he flourished and helped in the team's drive to qualify for the playoffs and advance to the second round, before falling to the Hartford Wolfpack. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Washington assigned Semin once again to Portland, but he left North America to play for Lada Togliatti in the RSL instead. Washington suspended Semin for not reporting to Portland, which effectively freezes his years of service to the club and will delay Semin's unrestricted free agency status in the NHL (which under the new CBA, kicks in at seven years of NHL service or age 27). Semin thrived, scoring 19 goals and 11 assists for 30 points in 50 games in the low-scoring RSL. It may have been a mixed blessing. Semin became so integral a factor in Lada's team that Semin was drafted into the Russian military to complete his military service this off-season, and conveniently enough, into the Lada military district. It appears that Semin is locked into another year with Lada for 2005-06, but should be able to return to the Capitals for the 2006-07 season. Due to the NHL suspension that remains in place, Semin will still be playing off his entry-level contract when he returns to the NHL. Having played just one year of that deal for Washington, he will owe the Capitals the last two years on his entry-level deal. Semin received the rookie maximum salary for 2002 draft picks of $1,185,000 per season, plus signing and performance bonuses. However, owing to the 24% rollback on all NHL salaries enshrined within the new CBA, Semin's salary will be $900,600 for each of the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons."
"A clause in Semin's entry-level contract stipulated that should Semin not make the Capitals' roster, he could return to Russia if that were deemed best for his continued development, by mutual consent of player and team. Management believed that Semin would benefit from the more physical play that is prevalent in North American hockey, and only reluctantly agreed to this clause. Yet at the end of the 2003-04 season, Washington persuaded Semin to join the AHL's Portland Pirates. There he flourished and helped in the team's drive to qualify for the playoffs and advance to the second round, before falling to the Hartford Wolfpack. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Washington assigned Semin once again to Portland, but he left North America to play for Lada Togliatti in the RSL instead. Washington suspended Semin for not reporting to Portland, which effectively freezes his years of service to the club and will delay Semin's unrestricted free agency status in the NHL (which under the new CBA, kicks in at seven years of NHL service or age 27). Semin thrived, scoring 19 goals and 11 assists for 30 points in 50 games in the low-scoring RSL. It may have been a mixed blessing. Semin became so integral a factor in Lada's team that Semin was drafted into the Russian military to complete his military service this off-season, and conveniently enough, into the Lada military district. It appears that Semin is locked into another year with Lada for 2005-06, but should be able to return to the Capitals for the 2006-07 season. Due to the NHL suspension that remains in place, Semin will still be playing off his entry-level contract when he returns to the NHL. Having played just one year of that deal for Washington, he will owe the Capitals the last two years on his entry-level deal. Semin received the rookie maximum salary for 2002 draft picks of $1,185,000 per season, plus signing and performance bonuses. However, owing to the 24% rollback on all NHL salaries enshrined within the new CBA, Semin's salary will be $900,600 for each of the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons."