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Winnipeg Jets fans might have been a tad excited this morning when they saw news of Gabriel Landeskog signing in Sweden. The nineteen-year-old Colorado Avalanche captain has agreed to a contract with Djurgarden IF, currently of the Allsvenskan league, one day after his teammate Matt Duchene signed with Frolunda HC in the SEL.
Undoubtedly, this has to be seen as goodn ews for defenseman Tobias Enstrom, who continues to wait patiently for his clearance to suit up for Modo.
Well, not so fast.
Jon Hagqvist of http://allehanda.se provides further explination of these transactions:
@tj_maughan No, Djurgården got relegated last season and is currently in the second tier, allsvenskan, which has'nt stopped NHL'ers.
— Jon Häggqvist (@jonhaggqvist) October 3, 2012
@tj_maughan Frölunda (in the SHL) signed Matt Duchene to a two-month contract yesterday but they also have injury problems, like Modo.
— Jon Häggqvist (@jonhaggqvist) October 3, 2012
Aaaaaand back to purgatory.
Jon went on to confirm that the bigger SEL teams have been the loudest in voicing their displeasure against the implementation of replacement players, the reason being twofold. First, the more prominent clubs don't want to run the risk of upsetting the league's competitive balance.. Second -- and more importantly -- is the economic issue that replacement players bring. The insurance premiums these NHLers carry are often too expensive for teams to actively pursue, meaning that a swift influx of player migration would be a discrepancy for many of the SEL's teams.
It's still believed that sooner or later, one General Manager will take the plunge and sign the first NHL replacement player to their roster. Like moths to a flame, many will follow thereafter. But for now, the replacement player stalemate rages on. Hopefully Tobias Enstrom enjoys the melodic stylings of Tom Petty.
The waiting is the hardest part...