Not many Chicago Blackhawks players choosing to go abroad -NHL Update
The current lockout, which was announced officially by the National Hockey League (NHL) after the former collective bargaining agreement came to an end on September 15, 2012, has affected many players around North America, but for Chicago Blackhawks, waiting
to see how the situation plays out seems to be top priority.
With a number of players from various clubs around the NHL already having signed on to continue playing another season, lockout or not, in leagues around Russia, Switzerland and Germany, the Blackhawks are slower than their counterparts in doing so, and
it does not come without reason.
As of now, the only Blackhawk to have done so is Michael Frolik, who left for the Czech Republic and is now a part of the Chomutov team of the Czech Extraliga League. The remaining superstar lineup consisting of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Viktor Stalberg,
Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith and a number of others are still in North America and venting out their anger in different ways.
"Why wouldn't anybody be angry?" Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said Monday, according to the Chicago Tribune. "It's pretty frustrating how things have gone. I'm definitely not happy about it."
When asked if they were considering leaving anytime soon, Ross Gurney, who is Duncan Keith’s agent at the moment, termed his client’s decision to not be time based and one that may happen at any moment depending on how things unfold in the upcoming days.
“It’s something we’re entertaining but we don’t have a specific timeline yet,” Keith’s agent Ross Gurney said, according to ESPN.
Agents of the other players were also reported to have said the same as their being no conclusive answer from either side. Whether things get better or go for the positive, they will have to choose soon as the regular seasons of foreign clubs are also on
the verge of kicking off and going too late might just result in a rejection.
Most agents have hinted at the cancellation of regular season games as being the green signal to go and play abroad, as the league has just cancelled preseason matchups up until now. With the regular season scheduled for October, Chicago players might just
be forced to begin packing up soon.
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