Färjestad looks to lose one of its golden heroes.
Now sports director Rickard Wallin is appealing to the association.
– It will be impossible, he says.
Färjestad’s season really had two different sides. They were favorite ahead of the season after several strong new acquisitions, but had a tough start to the new competition year.
Want to keep the gold hero
In the end, the club replaced both coach and sports director – which had a real effect. With Rickard Wallin and Tomas Mitell behind the levers, Färjestad lifted all the way to a Swedish Championship final and then gold.
One of the big gold organizers was the hill Theodor Lennström who was a giant during the playoffs. The defender has a contract with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in the KHL, but returned to the SHL after the Olympics. Now Färjestad wants to keep its golden hero – but has encountered problems.
Theodor Lennström has been clear that he does not want to go back to Russia and now Rickard Wallin is appealing to the union to help FKB solve the situation.
Now appeals to the union
– Contracts written before the outbreak of war… It will be difficult for the players to relate to it, to have to go back to something you have not really missed out on. Because it is not the hockey game itself that is the problem – it is the situation to be in that country, Wallin says to Värmlands Folkblad.
Färjestad is now working hard to keep Lennström – who has an interest from the NHL, among others – in the club. But the contract with the KHL club makes up for that, right now.
– But of course it would be desirable if the International Ice Hockey Federation could be a little clearer in its communication what is okay and not okay about things like this. Russia is not allowed to participate in the World Cup, not participate in the JVM or anything else either… I think it is a bit of a double message, Wallin continues.
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