Here in Washington, it was hard not to notice the sprinkling of sweaters from KHL teams appearing in the crowd during the team's recently completed development camp earlier this month. Moreover, two of the most popular T-shirts you'll find in the pro shop at the team's training facility are ones embossed with the names of Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin -- with their names spelled in Russian.

The real trouble could start if fewer Russian prospects make their way to North America and more European talent opts to play in the expanded KHL. "Perhaps a trend of players going to another league [could reinforce the notion that] the NHL isn't the premier hockey league on earth ... The more and more we're seeing this, it reinforces the impression it isn't the best in the world," McCann said.

What's worse, McCann added, is that competition for players -- especially players who make up a disproportionate number of the league's most offensively skilled players -- could drive up the cost of doing business and force NHL owners to re-evaluate their priorities. Essentially, said McCann, NHL owners may well conclude that they'll be forced to spend more for players or be forced to put an "inferior product," on the ice.

If that comes to pass, McCann said that we shouldn't be surprised if a growing number of NHL owners look to put their teams on the market.

And as for those who charge that most talented North Americans would always choose to stay home and play in Canadian Juniors or the NCAA, it might be high time to think again. Four years ago, I interviewed a player agent who represented a number of American basketball players in Europe. At the time, I asked him if there was a chance that the European professional leagues might eventually offer an alternate development path for American players who would normally opt for at least a few years in the NCAA.

At the time, he told me no, and that the cultural gap was probably too wide for an 18-year-old American kid to bridge. Yet just last week, one of the top American high school basketball prospects, Arizona recruit Brandon Jennings, opted to play at least a year in Europe for Virtus Roma. And that's a year he won't have to worry about dealing with NCAA investigations just because he wants to make sure he gets paid for what he's really worth.

But Jennings isn't the only American that's opted to ply their trade in Europe. For years, American female basketball players like Diana Taurasi have opted to play for big bucks in Europe when the WNBA isn't in session. And Europe is still the optimal destination for the top men's talent in American soccer, with young players like Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore and Jonathan Spector eschewing a life in MLS for a chance to compete in Europe at the highest levels of the sport.

There was one point that McCann and I couldn't agree with more -- and that's the impression that the longer the dispute between the KHL and the NHL persists, the more likely the KHL will obtain greater and greater leverage in their negotiations if more European players choose to stay home. What's worse, if the KHL actually follows through on plans to expand throughout Europe, it could very well turn out to be a rather attractive destination -- even if only temporarily -- for top North American hockey talent.

Laugh if you must. The KHL and the threat it represents is no joke.

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