The lockout and it's impact on NHL careers

[JKidd]

Matt Cullen has played almost 1,100 games in 14 NHL seasons. Justin Falk has played 72 games in parts of three seasons.

Cullen, who turns 36 Friday, is in the last year of a three-year contract with the Wild that is supposed to pay him $3.5 million. Falk, who turned 24 three weeks ago, is on a one-year deal that is supposed to pay him $825,000.

The two players are on opposite ends of the career spectrum, yet are on similar fragile footing because of a lockout that threatens the NHL season.

Cullen knows he could get squeezed out because of younger, cheaper talent in the minors. Falk doesn't have a pile of money in the bank and knows he can't afford to sit idly as defensemen playing in minor-league Houston fly past him on the depth chart. Falk is on a one-way contract, meaning he can't play in the American Hockey League during the lockout.

Every locked-out NHL player is standing arm-in-arm with their union in a battle with the owners. But many standing up for their principles might be cruelly harmed by this lockout.

"There are guys here that this is going to snowball on," said Ray Ferraro, who played 18 years in the NHL. "I'm talking about veterans, and I'm talking about guys that have played 45, 100 games. They're in a bad spot, and there's nothing you can do now. Now you're hanging on to the train, and you just hope you don't get bucked off and you never get to play again."

Ferraro, an analyst for the Canadian sports channel TSN, isn't exaggerating. More than 240 players who played at least a game in 2003-04 never skated another NHL shift after the 2004-05 lockout.

That group included Hall of Famers Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Adam Oates, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens and Igor Larionov, and such popular former Wild players as Darby Hendrickson, Cliff Ronning and Brad Bombardir.

More...

[Ciccarelli]

If the season is cancelled you can count on to never see again at the NHL level following not yet retired players:

Sean O'Donnell, Jason Strudwick, Andrew Brunette, Tomas Holmstrom, Teemu Selanne (not sure about him), Craig Rivet, Nick Boynton, Chris Pronger, Jody Shelley, Daymond Langkow, Brendan Morrison, Tom Kostopoulus, Radek Dvorak, Jason Blake, Brian Rolston, Marty Turco, Jochen Hecht, Marco Sturm, Trent Hunter, Ethan Moreau, Mathieu Darche, Petr Sykora, Jay Pandolfo, Blair Betts, Pavel Kubina, Ian Laperriere (did he officially retire already?), Jason Arnott, Jamie Langenbrunner, Dominic Moore, Jim Vandemeer, Colin White, Mike Commodore, Dwayne Roloson, Samuel Pahlsson, Mike Knuble and the above mentioned Matt Cullen. Eventually also Martin Brodeur, Tim Thomas, Tomas Vokoun, Mika Kipprussoff are risking to end their career in a lockout season.

There are a lot of other younger guys, lots of them european that could be forgotten after the lockout and remain either in Europe or in the minors.

[V12_Bi-Turbo]

Where´s Jagr

[chilly666]

strudwick retired this offseason...though that list is a bunch of mediocre players that don't do much especially craig rivet who wasn't even in the league last year. plus laperriere who retired along with pahlsson who had signed in sweden long before the lockout.

[RayzorEdge]

Yeah Craig Rivet was in Elmira last year. Not sure where he is now, but I think it's safe to say his days of playing in the NHL were over awhile ago.

[JKidd]

I think we can all agree Craig Rivet's days in the NHL were over when he signed in Buffalo.

[RayzorEdge]

Originally Posted by jkidd

I think we can all agree Craig Rivet's days in the NHL were over when he signed in Buffalo.

Hey!

[Stevens Lindros]

Originally Posted by V12_Bi-Turbo

Where´s Jagr

Signed a 2-year deal with Dallas. Since he's keeping in shape in Europe with his hometown team I'll bet he finishes his career with the second year in Dallas.

As for Jody Shelley, it's a shame but it looks like this will it for his career unless an agreement is reached before February (it won't).

[SteelCityAssault]

Originally Posted by Ciccarelli

Tomas Vokoun, Mika Kipprussoff are risking to end their career in a lockout season.

Vokoun is on a 2-year deal, so no

[chilly666]

along with brodeur as well...

[hockey doc]

Originally Posted by Ciccarelli

There are a lot of other younger guys, lots of them european that could be forgotten after the lockout and remain either in Europe or in the minors.

Yay!

[Ciccarelli]

Originally Posted by chilly666

along with brodeur as well...

I thought he signed a one year deal. Anyways I made this list on top off my mind so I might have forgotten someone or made some error.

[V12_Bi-Turbo]

last time i checked Jagr signed one year contract

[Shoryuken]

I think Pronger is done.. would be very unwise for him to come back anyway, look at what happened to the likes of Eric Lindros and a whole host of other players in his predicament..

[nilan30]

I could see a whole host of enforcers not being back in the NHL or spending minimal time there if the whole season is cancelled. Lots of these guys probably won't be playing anywhere else significant and you don't get better playing beer league or sitting on the couch. Maybe I'm wrong and some of these guys are playing this year.

Guys like:

Eric Boulton
Cam Janssen
Jody Shelley
Brad Staubitz
Darcy Hordichuk
Brian McGrattan
Jim Vandermeer
George Parros maybe
even a guy like Shawn Thornton who is a better player than those other guys and is signed, I believe, for two years. But he is no spring chicken and a missed year could be bad news for him. May be less of a regular player in two years.