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Alexander Radulov, the poster boy for all of the stereotypes that had plagued Russian players in the NHL for years, confirmed wide speculation that he will be returning to the NHL next year. The KHL star told Russian reporters Friday that he plans to play in the NHL next season, but did not say where.

The former Nashville Predators forward reportedly was in New York to meet with an undisclosed number of NHL teams. That apparently drew the ire of the Russian Hockey Federation as Radulov was expected to be in Team Russia’s camp ahead of the 2016 IIHF Men’s World Championship, which is being held in Moscow and St. Petersburg starting next week. They still welcomed him back to camp and it is expected he will make the team.

Radulov’s desire to come back to the NHL wouldn’t be news if there weren’t teams interested in taking a chance on the polarizing figure. However, according to multiple reports, there is interest from multiple NHL clubs.

In his 30 Thoughts column, Elliotte Friedman reported that, while he is uncertain of the number of teams with interest in Radulov, the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings are expected to be among them. More from Sportsnet.ca:

13. As usual, nothing with Alexander Radulov is as easy as it seems. While Russian reporters (Igor Eronko) were stunned that he did not show up at the country’s World Championship training camp, NHL teams were in ‘What’s the big deal?’ mode as he talked with several of them from New York City. They were expecting him to stay a few days before returning for the Worlds, but word from overseas was he might not be welcomed back.

All of this added another weird layer to his possible return, with a couple clubs wondering, “Who would take a chance with this?” The Colorado Avalanche were thought to be the frontrunners because of Semyon Varlamov’s comments that all the Avalanche had to do was phone Radulov, but a couple of sources warned me away from that possibility. (I was guilty of assuming.) Not sure how many teams are involved here, but the Florida Panthers are definitely one. I’ve heard the Detroit Red Wings sniffed around, too, but it’s difficult to gauge the depth of their interest. The other question is: what does Radulov want or expect, contract-wise? Decision is expected next week, I think.

It’s awfully interesting that there are apparently multiple teams that are on Radulov’s trail after the unceremonious end to his second NHL stint with the Predators back in 2011-12. His first run with Nashville ended with a year remaining on his contract when he signed a contract with Salavat Yulaev in the first year of the KHL.

Perhaps because they needed some scoring help at the time, the Preds welcomed Radulov back with open arms in 2011-12 after his KHL season ended. He managed to play in nine regular season games at the end of the year and appeared in eight postseason contests. However, Radulov’s postseason performance was marred by a pretty terrible off-ice decision.

Radulov and teammate Andrei Kostitsyn were suspended for Game 3 of the team’s second-round series against the Arizona Coyotes for a violation of team rules. It was later revealed that the two were spotted arriving back to the team’s hotel at 4 a.m. the day before Game 2 against the Coyotes. Head coach Barry Trotz found out after the fact, suspended them for Game 3, then didn’t put them back in the lineup for Game 4 after the team won in their absence. At the time, Radulov was leading the team with six points in the postseason.

The Preds lost Game 4 and Radulov and Kostitsyn were reinstated for Game 5, which ended up being the last game of Nashville’s season.

Radulov was one of the players that made "enigmatic" a frequent descriptor for Russian players, whether it fit or not. It also hurt other players as the "Russian Factor" became a thing for teams fearful of drafting guys that would bolt on their contracts. Others like Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Vladimir Tarasenko and Nikita Kucherov have been among those that have helped squash that narrative.

But now, at 29 years old, Radulov wants to come back. Given his history, his age and having spent the last four seasons in the inferior KHL whoever signs him is taking a risk. There’s the personality concerns, of course, but there’s also the more important question: can he hack it in the NHL anymore?

Players that starred in the KHL in recent years have struggled to make the transition. Viktor Tikhonov, Evgeny Medvedev and Sergei Plotnikov are all good examples of guys who just couldn’t perform at a high enough level in the NHL after coming over last summer. Artemi Panarin, who had youth on his side, may be the exception to the rule as he appears poised to win the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year.

But make no mistake, Radulov still has an immense skillset and he’s a proven scorer. In Radulov’s second season in Nashville back in 2007-08, he had 26 goals and 58 points in 81 games. He’s also been a dynamic scorer over the entirety of his KHL career. Radulov has 492 career points in 391 KHL games and is a four-time MVP in that league.

Last season, Radulov put up 65 points in 53 games before leading CSKA to the Gagarin Cup Final with 16 points in 20 KHL playoff games.

Teams are going to have to decide if he’s worth the contract, and it’s still unknown how much he will command. The risk is going to be high, but if Radulov can transition adequately, the reward potential is also very high.

Alexander Radulov expects to return to the NHL next season. (USATSI)
Alexander Radulov expects to return to the NHL next season. (USATSI)