With one year left on his NHL entry-level contract, this upcoming season is vital for Liam Kirk.
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, Kirk’s future with the Arizona Coyotes looks tenuous from the outside, given how he was handled last year.
Among the options open to the organisation is to loan the GB forward to another AHL team or a European club. There is also the possibility for the NHL contract to be mutually cancelled, allowing both parties to move on with Kirk free to choose his next port of call.
Of course, he could remain within the Arizona Coyotes organisation and fight for a place, though recent online rumours suggest otherwise.
A Motor České Budějovice fan posted on the social media site X, that Kirk was signing for Czech team HC Litvinov.
How much credence should this information be given, with the propensity for Chinese whispers and rumours in the online world?
The taking down of a video announcing the signing is an intriguing revelation, but I did not have the chance to view that myself.
Kirk follows Litvínov and their Team Manager Tomas Vrábel on Instagram and has followed the Czech team’s X account. Mere coincidence or alluding to what’s ahead?
If Kirk is heading to Litvínov, then it’ll be a slight step down in terms of European competition.
The Czech Extraliga is rated the third-best league in Europe by the IIHF behind Liiga (Finland) and the SHL (Sweden).
HC Litvínov has not been pulling up trees recently, finishing outside the top ten in a fourteen-team league for the past three seasons. In the two seasons they ‘earned’ a wildcard playoff berth, Litvínov were comprehensively swept 3-0 on both occasions.
Their best-known player for the upcoming season is Ondřej Kaše, formerly of Anaheim, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes. He’ll be alongside his brother David, who has joined from fellow Czech team HC Sparta.
The Extraliga season begins in mid-September, so expect an announcement shortly if this rumour turns out to be true.
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