There is no rush for the Halifax Mooseheads to sort out the Tomas Knotek situation.
Knotek, the club’s captain and two-time MVP, will be placed on a special protected list for 20-year-old over-age Europeans, which will allow the Mooseheads to make a selection with the third overall pick in the Canadian Hockey League import draft in late June.
CHL teams are allowed to carry two Europeans. The Mooseheads currently have Knotek and German defenceman Konrad Abeltshauser occupying those spots.
Although Knotek is far and away the Mooseheads’ most gifted offensive player, the lure of drafting a younger import with more future potential may be too much to ignore.
“Tomas is a guy who would put up very good numbers for us so we’re trying to figure out what to do there,” Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell said. “Tomas would like to play in North America, he wants to come back and play and he would definitely play for us again.”
With Abeltshauser looking entrenched as a cornerstone for the next two seasons, the Mooseheads basically have three options: Trade Knotek; trade the import pick; or keep Knotek and use the pick on a player who doesn’t want to report until 2011-12.
“We have lots of different scenarios, lots of ideas we’re throwing around,” Russell said.
