Possible lock-out season 2012-12: how it affects FEL?
So, the upcoming NHL season is in danger, so a lot of players could play in Europe. Many will take a year off or play in AHL of course, but some superstars might be available. But if the season start's at some point, it would be useless to bring some stars to play for a while and mess up the team.
From a Jokerit-fan point of view, here's some players that are plausible:
Teemu Selänne
- Harkimo&Kekäläinen will definitely ask him and there's a small chance he could say yes. I think he's afraid of ending his career and starting a boring family life + a year in Finland for once could be nice for the family.
Tim Thomas or Kari Lehtonen
- Thomas feels bad about leaving Jokerit in trouble in 05/06, that's about only reason to come. A minimum chance. "Kärppä" Lehtonen is in the shape of his life, with a strong Jokerit-backround he could be available. Anyway, Eero Kilpeläinen has a contract for the next year, I dont think he'll be pushed away.
Sami Lepistö
- Isn't quite good enough for NHL, practises with Jokerit during the summer... The most likely player to come.
Brian Campbell
- Maybe he has some warm memories? Would be pretty amazing to see him.
Tim Stapleton
- One of my favourite players of all time. I'm really happy he got his NHL-career going, he's a real athlete and a super-nice guy. Not a club-going *********.
Sean Bergenheim
- Harkimo is his godfather + a strong Jokerit-backround. Maybe.
Valtteri Filppula
- Ilari plays here and Jokerit is Valle's team. He's still young so I suppose he isnt that settled in Detroit? Who wants to live in Detroit without hockey anyway...
Unfortunately Jokerit's team is already quite packed, everyone in our current roster has a contract for 12/13, except Kerälä, Boumedienne, Lupaschuk and Hetenyi (he will get a contract. Plus, Joonas Rask is coming. So one defenseman would be realistic (=Lepistö).
Valtteri Filppula
- Ilari plays here and Jokerit is Valle's team. He's still young so I suppose he isnt that settled in Detroit? Who wants to live in Detroit without hockey anyway...
Lehtonen got married last summer and his wife is american (from Atlanta) and Valtteri has girlfriend from America but boys gotta play some where if the lock out happens.
Few additions are possible but Kekäläinen likes to build his team in longer run (long contracts) so I don't see him signing too much "rentals"
Tim Thomas or Kari Lehtonen
- Thomas feels bad about leaving Jokerit in trouble in 05/06, that's about only reason to come. A minimum chance. "Kärppä" Lehtonen is in the shape of his life, with a strong Jokerit-backround he could be available. Anyway, Eero Kilpeläinen has a contract for the next year, I dont think he'll be pushed away.
I don't think we would get any goalies since we already have 3, Hetenyi, Kilpeläinen and Tuohimaa. And Korpisalo also.
So, the upcoming NHL season is in danger, so a lot of players could play in Europe. Many will take a year off or play in AHL of course, but some superstars might be available. But if the season start's at some point, it would be useless to bring some stars to play for a while and mess up the team.
From a Jokerit-fan point of view, here's some players that are plausible:
Teemu Selänne
- Harkimo&Kekäläinen will definitely ask him and there's a small chance he could say yes. I think he's afraid of ending his career and starting a boring family life + a year in Finland for once could be nice for the family.
Tim Thomas or Kari Lehtonen
- Thomas feels bad about leaving Jokerit in trouble in 05/06, that's about only reason to come. A minimum chance. "Kärppä" Lehtonen is in the shape of his life, with a strong Jokerit-backround he could be available. Anyway, Eero Kilpeläinen has a contract for the next year, I dont think he'll be pushed away.
Sami Lepistö
- Isn't quite good enough for NHL, practises with Jokerit during the summer... The most likely player to come.
Brian Campbell
- Maybe he has some warm memories? Would be pretty amazing to see him.
Tim Stapleton
- One of my favourite players of all time. I'm really happy he got his NHL-career going, he's a real athlete and a super-nice guy. Not a club-going *********.
Sean Bergenheim
- Harkimo is his godfather + a strong Jokerit-backround. Maybe.
Valtteri Filppula
- Ilari plays here and Jokerit is Valle's team. He's still young so I suppose he isnt that settled in Detroit? Who wants to live in Detroit without hockey anyway...
Unfortunately Jokerit's team is already quite packed, everyone in our current roster has a contract for 12/13, except Kerälä, Boumedienne, Lupaschuk and Hetenyi (he will get a contract. Plus, Joonas Rask is coming. So one defenseman would be realistic (=Lepistö).
What about other teams?
I think you could add Tuomo Ruutu that list since we have Jarkko too. I can't see him going to IFK when his brother is playing for Jokerit.
Lehtonen got married last summer and his wife is american (from Atlanta) and Valtteri has girlfriend from America but boys gotta play some where if the lock out happens."
Be nice for them to show their new wives life in Suomi for a year
Yeah, and I'm pretty much done with him. ****ing annoyed by "kulta-mikke"
I hope you're not kidding, because I feel the same way. I was so happy to see HIFK eliminated from playoffs, because of "Kulta-Mikke" was there, all the ****ing hype on newspapers got old. GL to NHL, Mikke!
Antti Niemi to Pelicans and him and Hovinen would split games 50/50. However if Hovinen happened to outshine him it wouldn't be a good thing for Niemi's career so maybe he'd choose AHL or Sweden/Switzerland/other FEL club instead.
Strange that no one seems to have factored KHL in yet in this thread. Something just tells me that it's the league which would gain the most from a possible NHL lockout.
Yes very true about KHL. Wonder if NHL would put stop to that some how so their biggest stars like Crosby etc wouldn't go there. This could be a huge status boost for KHL and for it's visibility all over the world and at the same time huge loss to NHL and they could be seen almost equal leagues in the future. Must be a real nightmare situation for NHL.
Selanne could play 1 more season in Jokerit and then quit his career, but what about Saku, would he go to TPS or betray TPS and go to Jokerit with Teemu lol. Most likely both would skip that season though, at least Teemu and then Saku would go alone to TPS i guess if he would choose to play.
Yes very true about KHL. Wonder if NHL would put stop to that some how so their biggest stars like Crosby etc wouldn't go there. This could be a huge status boost for KHL and for it's visibility all over the world and at the same time huge loss to NHL and they could be seen almost equal leagues in the future. Must be a real nightmare situation for NHL.
Selanne could play 1 more season in Jokerit and then quit his career, but what about Saku, would he go to TPS or betray TPS and go to Jokerit with Teemu lol. Most likely both would skip that season though, at least Teemu and then Saku would go alone to TPS i guess if he would choose to play.
I highly doubt Saku would play at all, but if he would there is no way he'd play in Jokerit... He is a part owner of TPS for god sakes. The question about KHL is an intresting one tho. I wonder how many NHLers would go there should the lockout happen. I doubt people with ties to a club in europe would go to the KHL, but it might attract some North American talent and at least all the Russians. I also wonder how many of the Russians would go back to NHL, if they did spend a year in KHL.
Some possible names for TPS:
Saku Koivu
Mikko Koivu
Lauri Korpikoski
Miikka Kiprusoff
Antero Niittymäki
Sami Salo
I think Selänne would most likely retire if lock-out happened. Of course it would be huge for Jokerit and Finnish hockey if he came back to SM-liiga but I just can't see it happening.
This is offtopic, but I see at least all of the young big stars Stamkos, Perry, Taylor Hall, Nugent-Hopkins and all Russian star players of course etc playing in KHL that season if it looked like the whole NHL season was canceled and wont start late. If those KHL teams could find some extra money somewhere to get all these players which i'm sure is possible. It would be a lottery win for the KHL as they could really be seen very close to NHL level league in the future after that if not even.
If Mikko went anywhere it would be TPS, but I think Minnesota would rather have him rest the whole season and perhaps let him play few games in the AHL after the injuries he had this season.
