Despite a possible work stoppage looming in the National Hockey League, the Swedish Elite League will not accept any short-term contracts from NHL players unless they are willing to commit for the entire season.
Swedish league decided today it will not accept any short-term contracts of locked-out NHLers. Players can only sign for minumum 1 season.
— Szymon Szemberg (@Sz1909_Szemberg) August 23, 2012
This means that SWE league will not sign any locked-out NHLers under contract as no one can commit for a full season in Europe.
— Szymon Szemberg (@Sz1909_Szemberg) August 23, 2012
The NHL and NHL Players’ Association are currently in negotiatons to hammer out a new CBA, as the current one expires on Sept. 15.
The news out of Sweden comes not long after Daniel and Henrik Sedin said they plan to play overseas if the NHL has a work stoppage.
“Absolutely,” Daniel told Expressen.se. “We have talked to Markus Naslund this summer here in Ovik and he understands the situation, he has been in the same situation.”
The Sedin brothers played for MODO during the 2004-05 lockout, where several NHL players went over to Sweden. Most were Swedish players, including Henrik Zetterberg who led the league in scoring, but others including Mike Knuble, Shawn Horcoff, and Brendan Morrison played in Elitserien (Swedish Elite League).
It remains unclear whether the league will change their view if the NHL season is officially locked out.
