Right now, I would put the odds of Guillaume Latendresse playing in the NHL next season as about 60-40 that he remains in the NHL. That said, the chances that the Senators' free agent winger will wind up in Europe appear to be increasing.
For several weeks, there have been rumors that Swiss team HC Fribourg-Gotteron has been courting the big forward, who had six goals in 27 games for Ottawa last season. Now there are also rumors than at least two KHL teams have interest in Latendresse as well.
A few years ago, while Latendresse was with Minnesota, it seemed like he was on the brink of living of to some of the hype about his offensive potential when he was a prospect for the Canadiens. But that was before a series of concussions and a neck injury last year put him out of the lineup much more than he was in. He's only played a combined 54 games in the last three seasons. It's a shame because, despite his skating deficiencies, he's always been a player I've thought was capable of being a 30-goal scorer in the NHL.
With the salary cap ceiling going down next season, players like Latendresse are feeling the pinch as teams are less inclined to gamble even on reduced-salary deals. These players often wind up signing in Europe.
I still think it's more likely than not that the 26-year-old Latendresse finds an NHL landing spot, whether it's re-signing to another one-year deal with the Senators or a team such as Colorado or New Jersey (both of which I've heard have expressed at least mild interest). He could also wind up attending an NHL camp on a tryout basis. However, the odds of him signing a contract to play overseas have increased with each passing week of free agency.
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