Baikal Captain Kadakin Leaves Team; Earth Ceases to Spin

BOULDER, Colorado -- Baikal-Energia Irkutsk's general manager Pavel Levitin announced Monday that team captain Nikolai Kadakin had left the team and was currently seeking a contract with another club as a free agent, Irkutsk newspaper Nasha Sibskana reported.

The reasons for Kadakin's departure remained unclear, but the club has granted him his unconditional release despite the fact that he was entering the second year of his three-year contract with Baikal. Levitin admitted in his conversation with Nasha Sibskana that Baikal would receive no compensation if the midfielder is signed by another club.

Baikal has reportedly signed a transfer agreement to send Kadakin to league champions Dynamo Moscow, though he still has the option to move to another club before the upcoming season.

Baikal is hoping that newly-signed Pavel Dubovik will be able to fill Kadakin's role as the team's principal center midfielder, Levitin said. Dubovik, however, is only 21 years old and scored only nine points last year (5 goals, 4 assists) for Mayak Krasnoturinsk, a far cry from Kadakin's eight goals and 23 assists in 2007-08.

In addition to the Dubovik signing, Baikal has also added forward Andrei Gerasimov, who, though only 20 years old, has tallied 24 goals each of the past two season for Mayak.