Jaroslav Halak Heads to Germany

You can officially add Jaroslav Halak to the list of St. Louis Blues players playing abroad during the NHL lockout. After rumors were squashed about Halak playing in Russia’s KHL, it was confirmed by Jeremy Rutherford that Halak was in fact going to play with Lausitzer in Germany’s 2nd Division.

What does this say about the NHL/NHLPA negotiations? Honestly, not much. Halak’s move in no way reflects the situation surrounding the CBA talks. Simply, he is looking for a place to play – and a paycheck – and took the chance to receive one if the negotiations continue to drag on. If they talks are resolved soon – fingers crossed – Halak will come back.

What this move does tell us is that Halak is at 100% health. He has fully recovered from the injury he suffered when Barret Jackman inadvertently ran into him during last year’s playoffs. At the very least this move tells us that Halak isn’t concerned about any lingering effects and that he would be up to the task of manning the St. Louis net when (if) the season starts.