PHC CSKA President Igor Esmantovich explained in detail the situation surrounding the new contract of Army forward Denis Guryanov. The hockey player signed a new agreement with the club on May 13.
— There's a lot of talk in the media about Guryanov turning down a much more lucrative offer from Avangard to sign with CSKA. This brings to mind the high-profile cases of Alexander Nikishin and Arseniy Gritsyuk, who voluntarily accepted significant salary reductions. In your opinion, what's the reason for Guryanov's choice?
— There's no point in drawing comparisons with other players, as there was no reduction in Guryanov's case. His contract is absolutely market-based and no less than last year's, and given the three-year term, the amount is set to increase. Furthermore, a new rule has been added to the KHL regulations, introducing an additional 50 million ruble bonus per team starting next season for players' participation in the club's commercial projects. In this case, we took advantage of this provision by spending part of the sum on Guryanov. This allowed us to conclude a contract in line with the market. So, CSKA acted strictly within the regulations. At the same time, I believe we have no right to disclose players' salaries. I hope that the league's management will communicate this new provision of the KHL regulations to journalists and fans, and that such questions will no longer arise. Therefore, I ask media representatives to cease speculation on this matter and, if necessary, to seek further clarification from the KHL," - Esmantovich said in an interview with Championat correspondent Pavel Panyshev.
