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Bruins’ Seidenberg contemplates playing in Germany if locked out

Tampa Bay Lightning v Boston Bruins - Game Two

in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 17, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Bruce Bennett

While most NHLers haven’t started planning where they’ll play in the event of a lockout, some are beginning to think about the future.

Such is the case in Boston, as Fluto Shinzawa of the Globe asked B’s defenseman Dennis Seidenberg about his plans -- specifically, if Seidenberg might return to Germany and play with his former club, Mannheim.

The added allure of Mannheim is the club also employs Seidenberg’s brother, Yanick.

“It would be nice to play with him if it gets to that point,” Seidenberg said. “But for now, I haven’t really put enough thought into it to say what I’m going to do.”

Seidenberg spent three years with Mannheim before joining the Flyers organization in 2002. He opted not to play in Germany during the 2004-05 lockout -- he spent the year with Philly’s AHL affiliate -- but could be swayed to return this time around.

Aside from getting to play with his brother, Seidenberg would join an Eagles club that lost in the finals of last year’s German league championship.

That said, playing in Germany isn’t a slam dunk. Seidenberg is 31 now (he was 23 during the last lockout) and has a family. He’s also much more aware of labor negotiations than he was as a youngster.

“Last time I was pretty young, so I wasn’t really involved in all that stuff that was going on,” he said. “I played in the minors back then. I got the news here and there, but I didn’t really know what happened.

“This time, being a little bit older and knowing a few more players, you really feel the players are sticking together and really caring for each other. We’re believing what Don Fehr has to say.”

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