The only Finnish player still in the KHL, Teemu Pulkkinen, makes millions, but only in rubles.
Teemu Pulkkinen’s salary has significantly decreased since last season. All Over Press / Emil Hansson
Played in the Russian hockey league during the war Teemu Pulkkinen31, will continue in the KHL league this season as well.
The KHL announced on its website last Friday that Pulkkinen has signed a one-year contract with Kunlu Red Star. The team is Chinese, but plays in the Russian league.
Russian on Monday Allhockey site revealed that Pulkkinen’s salary this season is 40 million rubles, or about 385,000 euros.
For the previous two seasons, Pulkkinen represented Traktor Chelyabinsk, although all other Finns left the KHL arena due to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.
In the ranks of Traktor, according to the Russian Sport-Ekspress, Pulkkinen earned 65 million rubles from last season, or according to the exchange rate at the time, a good 726,000 euros. Liksa was tough, but not the top of the entire ruble league.
The decrease in the Vantaa-based attacker’s salary is a result of the decrease in power. In the 2021–22 season, he scored the sixth consecutive KHL career record 22+12=34 points in only 49 games. Last season’s 63 matches produced a much slower score of 15+12=27.
In the SM League, Pulkkinen represented the Jokers before moving to North America in 2013, where he played a total of 83 NHL games over five seasons before moving to the KHL.
In Leijon, Pulkkinen was on the way to winning World Championship silver in 2016.