If the lockout extends into October, it looks like Andrew Ference will be returning to HC Mountfield Ceske Budejovice in the Czech League, according to a CSNNE.com report.
Ference needs to take care of some personal matters first, but the current plan appears to be for him to join the team around Oct. 7. He previously skated with the squad when the NHL locked out its players in 2004-05.
“During the last lockout you saw some guys that stayed behind when others went to Europe or played in the AHL. Those guys fell a step behind the other players when the NHL got started again, and they had a really difficult time catching up to the pace,” said Ference. “I’m in the last year of my deal and I can’t afford to just sit around and allow the intensity to dial down in my workouts.”
Radek Martinek, who is an unrestricted free agent in the NHL after being limited to just seven games in 2011-12, will also join HC Mountfield Ceske Budejovice.