The impending lockout is preparing to put the kibosh on training camps, the entire pre-season schedule and places the regular season in peril.
Instead of NHL players getting ready to be evaluated by their coaches and general managers, many of them are wondering what they are going to be doing and preparing contingency plans if the lockout is long lasting.
Many of the members who displayed solidarity and unity at Donald Fehr’s press conference yesterday in New York City will be fending for themselves in the coming weeks if the Players Association and owners cannot reach some sort of accommodation.
Most will wait through the month of September in hopes that an agreement can be reached, but if that does not come to fruition and the lockout lasts into October and November, many will flock to leagues in Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Sweden and Russia.
For the Maple Leafs, veterans like Joffrey Lupul and Mikhail Grabovski have made noises about playing across the Atlantic, while others like Tim Connolly have expressed hesitation to take such a step. With the available spots in Europe not being plentiful and concerns over being insured there in case of long term injury, a number of players may simply wait it out in North America, doing their best to stay sharp and in shape.
The players who may have the greatest advantage when the season finally begins could be young pros like Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner and Ben Scrivens, who are still on two way contracts and have the ability to play in the AHL.
According to the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline, players who have two-way deals will be allowed to sign AHL-only contracts after the September 15th deadline, but only if they were on AHL "clear" list last spring.
Gardiner, Kadri, Scrivens, Carter Ashton and Joe Colborne all qualify under this exception and will be able to play for the Toronto Marlies, when their schedule begins in mid-October. Of those players, only Colborne’s availability is in doubt, as he is recovering from off-season surgery to repair a wrist injury.
Winger Matt Frattin, who was on the “clear” list and played impressively before injuring his knee at the end of the Calder Cup Western Conference Final, will not be able to play, as he signed a two year contract last July and both years of the deal are one-way.
With so many players in consideration for spots with the big club playing in the AHL, the domino effect will be that incoming young pros like Brad Ross, Greg McKegg and Jamie Devane, who were in line to compete for spots with the Marlies, but since they have nothing more to be gained from another year in junior, their pro careers may have to begin in the ECHL.
Ironically, the Leafs still have not announced a new ECHL affiliate to replace the Reading Royals, who became affiliated with the Washington Capitals in July.
Do you think that the additional time in the AHL will help in the development of Kadri, Scrivens or Gardiner or will it stunt their growth?
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