Despite some major sporting bodies making the decision to bar Russian athletes from competing, the NHL has decided it will allow Russian players to be drafted this year, while Canada should be boasting a strong roster at the 2022 World Hockey Championship. TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger join host James Duthie to discuss those topics and more. 

James Duthie: Wimbledon became the latest major sporting event to ban Russian players in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, so we wonder is there any chance the NHL could prevent Russian players from being drafted this spring?

Pierre LeBrun: It’s a question we have asked before as recently as the GM meetings in Florida and I got the same answer again on this day when I circled back to a league official in lieu of what’s happened at Wimbledon and the answer was “no.” The NHL is not contemplating barring Russian players from getting drafted on July 7 and 8 in Montreal. I guess the other thing that we’ll have to keep an eye on is whether some of those Russian prospects are downgraded in the eyes of some NHL teams when the draft arrives. I’ve talked to a few scouts in front offices that are having that internal dialogue, but for now and I don’t think it’s going to change – Russian players absolutely allowed to be drafted.