Jake Voracek Inadvertently Points Out How Bleak Things Have Gotten for the NHL

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As we covered on plenty of occasions, there are positives and negatives to locked out Flyers waiting out their exile in professional leagues overseas.

The plus: they stay relatively sharp. And the well-documented negative: the potential for injury.

News got out Sunday that forward Jake Voracek, who signed a four-year, $17 million contract extension in the offseason, became the first Flyer to go on the shelf while abroad.

Panotch initially reported that Voracek's agent, former Flyer Petr Svoboda, said it was just a knee sprain. But then there was an update to the initial report that Voracek himself said it worse, and finally his club put out a statement that he'll be out four weeks.

The gut-instinct was to go, "four weeks -- oh no," as if it impacted the Flyers, because it obviously happened to a Flyer. But the far more depressing reality is that no one expects the NHL solve its labor strife any time soon, certainly not soon enough to get guys back on the ice within the next month.

So there you have it. Jake Voracek will miss a month of hockey ... for HC Lev Praha. And that month he misses with injury will be the same month every other locked out player will miss in the NHL, regardless of how and where they are spending their time, and whether or not they're injured. Assuming there are no longer-term or nagging complications, it's almost like the injury never happened. It means absolutely nothing.

While you're not watching hockey, we suggest you read this detailed Q&A the Globe and Mail published with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman over the weekend. Even if you're not a "Bettman-guy/girl" -- and let's be honest, there are few who are these days -- it's worth your time.

LINK: Gary Bettman: The Lightning Rod [Globe and Mail]

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