Not long after putting pen to paper on a new contract with the Ottawa Senators, Rudolfs Balcers resumed his playing career overseas.
A restricted free agent who signed a one year, two-way deal with the club Saturday, the 23-year-old Balcers, who suited up for 15 games with the club last season, was loaned to the Stavanger Oilers in the Norweigen league.
Balcers had been looking to play overseas but as a restricted free agent he didn’t want to sign a deal until he had a contract in place. The deal he signed Saturday will pay him $750,000 if he’s in the NHL next season and $70,000 with the club’s AHL affiliate in Belleville.
The club now has seven players suiting up in Europe and waiting to see what happens here.
He makes his home in Stavangers and has been training with the club through the summer and since the season got under way. He will join the Senators when training camp gets under way and right now the plan is for the league to begin play on Jan. 1 but that’s tentative.
Balcers will make his debut with the Oilers Thursday night.
“It will be good to play some games.” Balcers told the club’s website. “Stavanger is like home and I have trained with the team for several months. As long as a new season with the Senators is on the way, I’ll be here.”
He added that in event the NHL season gets cancelled he will look at other options overseas.
Defenceman Erik Brannstrom is playing in Switzerland while goalie Filip Gustavsson is in Sweden, Filip Chlapik is in the Czech league while Vitaly Abramov is in Finland along with blueliner Lassi Thomson. Olle Alsing signed in Austria.
General manager Pierre Dorion completed another piece of business Monday when depth forward J.C. Beaudin agreed to a one-year, two-way deal with a $700,000 salary in the NHL and $80,000 with Belleville.
Beaudin, 23, was called up five times last season and suited up for 22 games. He was troubled by injuries in Belleville and only suited up for 13 games, but coach D.J. Smith liked what Beaudin brought to the table.
“J.C. has established himself as a good depth player within the organization,” said Dorion. “He made a great impression on the coaching staff both here and in Belleville and was deserving of the opportunities he received in Ottawa throughout last season. It’s a trend we hope to see continue.”
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