Last weekend the KHL started its new season. Many, including myself, see the KHL as the second-best league in the world at the moment.
When Alexander Romanov was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens, the experts, after a gasp of air, considered what the expectations were for Romanov in the upcoming season. The consensus was that the World Junior Hockey Championship would be realistic, while Romanov would most likely be playing in the MHL (the junior league) or VHL (the farm league). Neither the young Russian nor his coach Igor Nikitin, seemed to be paying attention, because in the first game of the KHL season Romanov was not only in the CSKA squad, he was on the ice and played for over seven minutes against Traktor Chelyabinsk.