Pavel Datsyuk could be returning to the NHL.
The 40-year-old four-time NHL All-Star announced Tuesday that he wouldn't be returning to St. Petersburg SKA, the KHL team with whom he's spent the past three seasons. Given that he didn't mention retirement, speculation immediately began on his future.
TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted Tuesday night that Datsyuk hasn't ruled out a move across the Atlantic — but there have been no specific plans made by the Russian star and his agent, Dan Milstein.
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Heard some idle chatter that 40-year-old KHLer Pavel Datsyuk might consider a return to the NHL next season but his agent Dan Milstein says: “Every year we sit down and talk about options but (returning to the) NHL isn’t something he has entertained.”
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) December 19, 2018
Despite Milstein's insistence that an NHL return "isn’t something (Datsyuk) has entertained," the possibility of The Magic Man heading back to North America continued to be the subject of chatter. On Wednesday Milstein made it clear there is only one NHL team for Datsyuk, should the player elect to play there again.
“(I)f Pavel decides to continue to explore the possibility of playing in the National Hockey League, I can tell you the only club he would play for would be the Detroit Red Wings," Milstein told The Detroit News. “He would not consider any other options.”
Before Red Wings fans get their hopes up, however, it is believed by McKenzie that Datsyuk's preference is to stay in the KHL to close out his career with hometown club Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg.
There’s apparently been no dialogue between Milstein and the Wings on Datsyuk and certainly nothing since Steve Yzerman took over as GM. In any case, Milstein and Datsyuk will get together and figure out Pav’s next step. It’s probably Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg...
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 1, 2019
Datsyuk won two Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, recording 918 points over 14 seasons.