Sweden, Finland to punish players who played or will continue to play in the KHL

Hockey players from the countries of Sweden and Finland have been put on notice for taking part in the KHL playoffs this season, with warnings regarding next season as well. While many players from those countries and several others left the KHL when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, several others stayed until their teams were eliminated from the post-season. Now that the Gagarin Cup has been awarded to CSKA Moscow, Sweden and Finland are taking action against players who chose to stay this season, and/or will play in the KHL next season.

In Sweden, any player who chooses to play in the KHL next season will not be eligible to play for that country's national team. Those who stayed for the 2022 KHL playoffs are banned from playing at the upcoming IIHF World Championship slated to start on May 13th.

As for Finland, it looks like it will limit its punishment to next season, stating any Finn who plays in the KHL in 2022-23 will not be alible for the Finnish national team. There was nothing mentioned regarding this year's World Championship taking place in Helsinki.

This will seem harsh to many, but it's important to remember that Finland borders Russia, while Sweden borders Finland. The war isn't on the other side of the world like it is for most in Canada and the US, but right on their doorstep. Two Swedish players, Adam Reideborn and Klas Dahlbeck, were on CSKA Moscow's roster for the Gagarin Cup win. The team also included defenceman John Gilmour of Canada (Montreal, QC), who played in 14 playoff games for the team.

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