A report out of Russia today says that Toronto Maple Leafs defender Nikita Zaitsev, recently signed to a seven-year contract, was offered a very lucrative, yet short term deal in the KHL.

The report from allhockey.ru says that Moscow CSKA, his most recent club in the KHL, offered Zaitsev 700 million rubles for two years. That is nearly US$12 million.

A Swedish story on this report makes the point that with the lower taxes in Russia than in Canada, Zaitsev could have effectively earned up to two thirds of his full seven-year deal in just two years in Russia.

If this proposed contract was for this large amount, then it does seem that the security of the term offered by the Leafs was the deciding factor for him, and we know now what the Leafs had to outbid to keep him.