Winnipeg Jet Alexander Burmistrov high-tails it to the KHL, at age 21.

Ilya Kovalchuk says nyet to some 77 million New Jersey Devil dollars and retires from the NHL to play shinny in his homeland.

Russian big wheels talk openly about trying to lure three-time Hart Trophy winner Alex Ovechkin back to his old stomping grounds.

It all makes you wonder if NHL GMs from Winnipeg to Washington, and all stops in between, will start shying away from players who’ve popped from the womb of Mother Russia.

In Burmistrov, the Jets could only watch as a prized asset, a former first-round pick whom the franchise had invested three years in, bolted.

Already with a western-Canadian lean and less than eager to dip their draft line into Europe, what will the Jets think the next time they put an 18-year-old Russian on their board? Or will they even do it?

Not expecting a straight answer from GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, who at the best of times speaks as if under the watchful eye of the Secret Service, I went to the other side.

Igor Larionov was one of the most respected Russian players of all time, and is now an agent.

Certified by both the NHL Players Association and the KHL, Larionov represents players on both sides of this cold war, and yeah, he says attitudes towards his countrymen are cooling on this side of the pond.

“It’s only been three years since I’ve been working as an agent, and I can see that,” Larionov said in an interview, Friday. “I can sense that. Not from all of them. They’re still looking for skill, still looking for players that can make a play.

“You can’t really judge by one or two players, judge the whole nation, the whole talent from Russia. It’s all about circumstances, all about the advice they’ve been given by the people who represent them. And the financial side is also very important.”

Larionov’s advice might surprise you.

He wants his players in the best league in the world. So despite feeling pressure from back home, he prefers to steer them towards the NHL.

Even if it means a smaller paycheque: he says he advised 23-year-old Andrei Loktionov to turn down a $3-million offer from the KHL in favour of the $725,000 the Devils were willing to pay this season.

Loktionov took his advice.

“To be an agent it would be easy to get my commission from the $3 million,” Larionov said. “But I care about the career of the young players. I want to give them a chance to make it here. It’s never going to be easy, but it’s worth it.”

Larionov isn’t sure what happened with Burmistrov. Maybe he just wasn’t patient enough.

“If kids have no opportunity to play in the NHL, or you can’t really wait... they can make good money, so you can’t really blame them for that,” he said. “At the same time, I always tell my boys when you’re 36, 37, you can always go there to play.”

Obviously, not all agents sing from the same songbook.

Throw in the fact the KHL is less physically demanding and plays a shorter season, and the Russian tune can be alluring.

Take the case of Washington draft pick Evgeny Kuznetsov, who’s driven the Caps crazy with his decision to play in the KHL since being a first round pick in 2010.

Word is the Russians paid Kuznetsov $10 million to play for two more seasons.

How can you blame NHL GM’s for being leery?

“They know there’s the KHL, there’s the money,” Larionov said. “But some of the guys are willing to come and pay the price and play here. You have to know inside-out what the player is up to, what his goals are. It’s a lot of questions before you make up your mind.

“Who’s going to be the next superstar? What player is going to fail?”

With Russians, there’s now a third question.

Which one is just as happy to go home?