By
PAUL FRIESEN, QMI Agency
Winnipeg Jets prospect Zach Redmond is just one of the many youngsters who would dread a lockout, especially at this stage of their careers. (Chris Procaylo/WINNIPEG SUN)
Among all the draft picks and free agent hopefuls at the Winnipeg Jets development camp this week, those closest to cracking the NHL face the reality the doors could be locked when they show up for training camp.
Negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement are expected to get ugly this fall, raising the possibility of another labour stoppage.
Welcome to the NHL, kid. Now go grab a picket sign.
“It really would stink,” defenceman Zach Redmond was saying during a break from the camp, Thursday. “That’s definitely tough. But at the same time you don’t control it. Everyone’s in the same position.”
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Nobody’s going to feel sorry for NHL vets making millions of dollars a year trying to protect their turf.
But you have to feel for the grunts, and those who’ve worked their way up through the minors and are on the verge of being grunts, only to have the bottom fall out.
After a productive first year as a pro in St. John’s of the AHL — he posted eight goals and 23 assists in 72 games — Redmond feels he’s ready to take the next step.
Those who’ve gone before him might feel they have to close the door, though.
“The players are obviously doing it for a reason,” Redmond said. “From what I can tell, they’ve already taken a pay cut. And if they take this one, where does it stop? So they’re standing up right now and putting a foot down. I mean, nobody wants it. It’s just what they feel is fair.
“We’re just hoping for the best. There’s nothing in particular we can do.”
That’s probably why a potential shutdown isn’t a hot topic of conversation among the hopefuls. They’re trained to worry only about what they can control.
“You gotta think the season’s going to start, you gotta train like it’s just a regular season,” 2011 first-round draft pick Mark Scheifele said. “You can’t think about the future. You’ve just gotta think about the now.”
The now is taxing enough, with 10 others at your position wanting the same job.
The thing is, when you’re at this stage of the game, it doesn’t even feel like a job. The last thing you want to worry about is the sharing of a revenue pie you’ve never even taken a bite of.
The truth is, most of these guys would play in the NHL for nothing.
“Almost,” Swedish forward Carl Klingberg said, sighing at the prospect of a shutdown.
“Exactly,” Scheifele agreed. “Right now you play for the love of the game. That stuff really doesn’t matter in your eyes. That’s exactly how I look at it. I play in the OHL and you’re not getting paid anything.”
The prospect of killing the buzz in this town doesn’t sit well, either, with the players just getting a feel for it.
“It’d be tough on the fans,” local boy Jason Gregoire acknowledged. “It’d be tough on the whole league. It’s always a tug-of-war. Hopefully they come to an agreement soon enough.
“If an NHL camp comes around, you gotta be ready. If not, then go dominate the A and give yourself a chance to get called up when the negotiations are through.”
That’s just it — the NHL will be back, eventually.
That carrot won’t disappear. It’ll just move back.
Along with the salaries, possibly.
Not that anybody wearing practice sweaters this week is worried about that.
“The NHL’s a privilege,” Redmond said. “Money probably comes second for a lot of guys, including myself. It’s just the opportunity and something you’ve wanted your whole life. Money isn’t going to stand in the way of that.”
Unfortunately, it might.
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