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Noble · 11-27-2019, 12:40 PM

FUTURE UNSTEADY

Tampa Bay, Florida, USA

Written By: Nickolas Klaus

As the Simulation Hockey League remains in the midst of a league-wide lockout caused by contract disputes between the SHLPA and SHL Administration, it is becoming less and less likely that a season may come anytime soon. With the SMJHL preparing to get underway into the regular season in only a short period of time, the future is bleak for Tampa Bay center Nickolas Klaus. After a disappointing end to his third campaign with the Barracuda, Klaus officially gains veteran status in the SHL heading into his fifth season. Despite this impressive accolade, Klaus has expressed extreme distaste with the league, both in the past and present. As a loud voice amongst the crowd in the advocation on behalf of the SHLPA, Klaus has done his best to keep his personal life maintained but recent backlash from the hockey community in Tampa Bay has surged in recent days due to the lockout.

It is clear that the Tampa Bay hockey community is quickly turning its head on the young German/Norwegian center. These comments are stirred after Klaus announced earlier this week that he will, in no uncertain terms, 'never be willing to accept a deal that doesn't offer more benefits to smaller market teams like Tampa Bay, West Kendall, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.' This comes after the recent CBA between the SHLPA and SHL came to a close this offseason and the two parties were unable to reach an agreement that would benefit both. Klaus has been headlining the SHLPA's attempts to increase player and market revenue for lower market valued teams in the south as recent deals have heavily favoured northern locations such as Calgary, Toronto, and Edmonton.

"These last few years we've known this was coming, and we were ready to put up a fight," said Klaus is an interview with TSN this morning. "We didn't expect the league to kick back hard enough to cause a lockout, but we're dealing with that as it comes. Obviously, at this point it doesn't look like the league will be on pace to start on time, but everything is still up in the air. It's just a short delay, not a total cancel."

Alongside this recent drama between the league and the player's association, news has recently come out that Klaus does not plan to extend his contract in Tampa Bay this coming offseason. The young star center signed in free agency with the team back in S48 following his rookie season with the Minnesota Chiefs where he saw low ice time and small offensive production. Klaus opened up his career with the Barracuda, posting a personal high of 45 points in 50 games during his sophomore campaign, and has gone on to add a 30+ and 40+ point season in the last two years. Despite this, Tampa Bay has seemingly turned their back on him following his high level of engagement with the lockout, and in the same interview, Klaus announced his intentions.

"It's hard to imagine not playing in Tampa Bay," Klaus began. "but I understand there is a curtain call for my removal at the moment. The fans are in unrest following our Challenge Cup loss only a few short months ago, and many attribute the loss to my selfish play. I understand the lack of compassion from the city surrounding my role in the CBA discussion, and so for right now I am opting out of my option to extend my contract with the Barracuda organization and will be testing the free agency market this coming season."

This decision comes as a hard hit to the Barracuda who just recently lost star prospective defenseman Kaspars Claude in free agency. Claude was a major part of the Tampa Bay core moving into the future, but with a large talent pool of defenders to back them up, the team has remained stagnant, choosing not to make a large amount of offseason moves this year. The team's general manager, @JSS had some choice words on the team's movements during the offseason and both Klaus' and Claude's decisions to enter the free agency market.

[Image: image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbladesofteal.com...=736&h=485]

"We made it to game seven of the Challenge Cup finals last season," JSS began. "but this city doesn't accept second place. We have the core we need in place right now to make another run, and I promise that we will be back. The loss of a guy like Kaspars [Claude] is obviously immeasurable as he was a fantastic young player we had in the system, but there are guys who can step in to take his place. We didn't see the need to look for trades, what with young options like Anthony [Archer], Miikka [Salo], and Emiko [Spector] all ready to step into bigger roles with the team. The recent announcement from one of our veteran players, Nickolas Klaus, certainly hurts team morale but situations like this happen when players are pushed too far past their tipping point. Klaus is clearly overwhelmed right now by the hockey world, and he knows we support him in his decision, but preferably we'd love to see him return home to Tampa Bay."

The biggest question for Klaus' possible landing location as of now is the potential movement of teammate Nolan Sawchuk. The two players have a tight-knit bond that has spanned their entire career, and while it is unlikely Sawchuk would leave Tampa Bay or end up in the same location as Klaus, it's a variable to be considered. Together since their rookie season in Kelowna at 17 years old, the two now 24-year-old players have spent seven seasons playing together professionally.

**The__Y-man__100** · 11-27-2019, 12:48 PM

Good luck in free agency Cheers

First ever Yukon Malamute draft pick (1st overall S65)

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