Team Canada GM: We'll consider Iginla, Doan for Olympics if unsigned
Team Canada general manager Sean Burke and his staff will have their ears to the ground for the rest of the NHL offseason.
Burke was named general manager of Canada's hockey team at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and will now be tasked with assembling a roster devoid of any NHL players.
Related: Klein, Raymond, Scrivens headline Canada's pre-Olympic tournament rosters
It presents a difficult task for Burke and Co. and with a smaller crop of players to choose from, Burke insists he would consider veteran forwards Jarome Iginla and Shane Doan if both go unsigned by NHL clubs.
"I don't think you would ever have to sell them," Burke told TSN 1050 radio on Tuesday. "I know that those are two players that have served their country in hockey a number of times and both have been impactful players for Team Canada and have enjoyed those experiences.
"Obviously both near the end of their NHL careers and not sure where their minds are as far as how much they think they have left to play in the NHL. But those are guys we will definitely consider, guys that we'll definitely think a lot about and we'll wait to see how those situations play out."
Both Iginla and Doan have Olympic experience and for the time being remain unrestricted free agents as they appear to be deciding on their playing careers, with retirement a realistic possibility.
As for the rest of the roster, Burke insists "most" of the team will likely be made up of players from the KHL.
"Most of our players will be guys that come from Europe, playing in the KHL," Burke said. "I guess if you are looking at it in at a rating system, it is probably the second best league in the world next to the NHL. A lot of our players are guys that were high draft picks guys that ended up playing in Europe for various reasons, but are excellent hockey players playing very well in other leagues.
"We'll maybe have an opportunity for the odd AHL guy who is maybe the higher-end guy on a AHL contract. We're not sure if that will present itself or not. There might be a guy in college, one guy in college somewhere who is a free agent college player, a guy that is a very good college player. You see these guys come out of U.S. colleges and sign and have an impact in the NHL right away, we might find a guy like that."
Canada will take part in five pre-Olympic tournament games to evaluate players. Time will tell if the roster includes at least two former Olympians.