Sergei Fedorov to revive career in the KHL

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Sergei Fedorov, to the surprise of many, isn’t quite ready to leave his playing days behind him and will play for CSKA after a glut of injuries stripped the team of many of its players. Pavel Lysenkov of SovSport.ru broke the news that Fedorov would make a comeback in light of more than a third of CSKA’s roster being on the IR currently.

While he hasn’t played in the NHL since 2009, it has only been since 2012 that Fedorov played at the professional level. As one of the most intelligent players to ever lace up a pair of skates, it isn’t a stretch to think that he could be an effective forward, even at the ripe old age of 43.

With Teemu Selanne and Jaromir Jagr both playing at relatively high levels in the NHL this season, it isn’t hard to imagine Fedorov posting some points for a CSKA team that he also manages. While he is remembered mostly for his incredible skating and breathtaking stride, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more complete player than Fedorov.

He was Pavel Datsyuk before Pavel Datsyuk was cool, and is one of only a handful of NHL players that was able to play as both a top-six forward and a top-pairing defenseman. For proof of his prowess in all three zones, see his outstanding plus-261 rating through his career.

He’s reportedly been training twice a week, and has kicked it up a notch recently to prepare for this comeback attempt. Fedorov has been working with Barry Brennan, who most recently worked with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but speed and agility has never been an issue for the longtime pro.

CSKA officials downplayed the comeback, having the following to say to SovSport on the matter:

"At this time a contract with player Fedorov has not been signed and registered with the League. Therefore, in accordance with the rules of the KHL, we do not have the authority to announce that such player will play for our team on a given day. We should not run ahead of [the train]…"

Lysenkov is standing by his initial report though and says that Fedorov will play on Friday, October 11.