For background on the statements made by former defenseman Slava Fetisov earlier this spring, read here.

Vladislav Tretiak is one of the skaters who never made it to North America following his participation in the Red Army Hockey Team in the 1970’s and 1980’s — yet he’s the one who seems to be opposed to the seemingly-desperate comments made by former NHL and USSR defenceman Slava Fetisov.

“We cannot just keep our players in Russia,” insists Tretiak via championat.ru. “We are a civilized country.” The Russian Ice Hockey Federation’s president insisted that there has to be an environment created that makes players want to stay in Russia, but the skaters must still be given a choice.

This reaction, of course, comes after Fetisov suggested that the best way to save a ‘dying’ KHL was to restrict Russian-born skaters from leaving for North America until they were twenty-eight.

Tretiak famously retired from pro hockey when he was reportedly still in his prime, following his disagreement with then-head of the Red Army team Viktor Tikhonov. A request by Tretiak to be permitted to follow a training regime at home — then join the club once the season had begun — was denied by the military official in charge of Russia’s most renowned hockey club due to the ‘special treatment’ it would have given the netminder. So he walked away from pro hockey altogether — and although it was suggested that he could have eventually played in North America, the Russian netminder never made it to the NHL.

It may seem surprising, therefore, that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation’s current president is against the restriction of players to home ice until they’re older. After all, part of Tretiak’s stance has always been to keep things localized, but improve their quality — if Fetisov feels the situation is dire enough to suggest such a harsh solution to the talent exodus from Russian hockey leagues, it wouldn’t be overly surprising if Tretiak agreed to an extent.

Closer examination of Tretiak’s ideologies, though, suggest that the Russian netminder thinks it’s possible to keep the skaters in Russia of their own accord.

The KHL is currently reportedly in discussions with the NHL to create the first-ever player loan agreement between the two pro leagues, a step forward that could guarantee an influx of talent loan until players hit 22 or even 23 before they begin North American pro careers. The success the SHL, SM-liiga, and Czech Extraliga have all seen with this type of system suggests that the KHL could see their state of affairs improve tangibly from this deal alone.

Tretiak is also famous in North America for owning one of the most rigorous goaltending academies this side of the Atlantic; the physically rigorous methods used by the netminder in his school (which was once host to North America’s most esteemed netminder, Martin Brodeur) could help improve the state of goaltending relationships between the NHL and the KHL with a loan agreement as well.

The underlying message many may miss in Tretiak’s message, though, is that what Fetisov suggested is an ill-advised solution — not that the problem does not exist. Through Tretiak’s careful wording — in which he suggests that the solution itself is what he holds fault with, not that a solution is being sought out altogether — makes two esteemed Russian officials sounding off about the rumblings of a dying KHL. The validity of rumored concerns regarding the league’s success is growing stronger with each passing week, and this may be a problem that catapults to the forefront of the hockey community before long if a solid solution isn’t ultimately presented in time to salvage the league’s finances.