Varitsky: Traktor's Last Place in KHL Is Not a Failure Yet
Former Vityaz GM Igor Varitsky says Traktor's 2 points from 5 games satisfy nobody, but the Chelyabinsk side can still make the play-offs and it is too early to judge.
Traktor have 2 points from their first 5 KHL matches and sit bottom of the league table. Igor Varitsky, the former general manager of Vityaz and Shanghai Dragons, said it is too early to write off the Chelyabinsk side's play-off hopes.
Asked whether the position amounts to a failure, Varitsky said: "After such a short stretch, you cannot call it a failure. But Traktor have always had big ambitions in the championship, and for now the result satisfies nobody, even allowing for the rebuild. They were not counting on this."
On the play-offs, he said: "The team is capable of making the play-offs. They have played very few games so far. Broader conclusions about whether a team can contend for the play-offs should be drawn a month or two into the regular championship."
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