Catching up with Krajíček

Lukáš Krajíček says he wanted to stay in Philadelphia and it was close to happen.

"I wanted to stay. It was my first priority. I wanted to settle somewhere more permanently. We had agreed on the terms, but at this point we have nine defensemen in Philadelphia, so there was no commitment in the end."

"I'm not sure yet where I'm going to play. I'm negotiating with several teams. Of course we're mostly talking about money. Phoenix, Anaheim and Carolina in particular."

"I want to stay in the NHL. There is interest in me in Russia, but I want to stay in North America as long as I can. Only then when no one wants me in the NHL I will return to Europe. At this point I don't know whether it's going to be a year or five years."

Krajíček feels confident in finding a job in the NHL.

"Maybe it's been in my head a little bit, but I'm sure it will work out. There are still a lot of places in the NHL, though I'm not alone in this situation. I'm not afraid, I'm sure things will work out. But of course I have to be well prepared for the new season."

Krajíček hopes he could find a new team by the time he goes back to North America.

"I'm flying back there in about ten days. It would be nice if I knew the team by then."

Krajíček has spent the summer in Czech, mostly just relaxing.

"Yeah, I played for Jagr's soccer and hockey teams in Prostějov. I love these exhibition games. People are having fun and the players enjoy it, too. I also spent a lot of time on tennis courts."

"Having a couple of weeks with family and friends is great. It's always perfect to stay home in the offseason and recharge your energy."

Krajíček also celebrated his successful season with his friends.

"Obviously. Afterall, it was a great success for me and also the experience of a lifetime. Especially considering at the beginning of the year I was with Tampa, on their farm team. The six months in Philadelphia was fantastic from my perspective. I played hockey at the absolute highest level. It was such a pity that we lost to Chicago. We didn't miss by much. We were only two wins away. If we had done it, there probably would've been a huge party in Philadelphia."

There wasn't much of a party for the second place finish.

"After the last game there was nothing but silence in the locker room. Only later on we realized what we accomplished."

"We had a quick meeting with the players after the season, but it wasn't anything big and special. There is only one winner in America."

Source: HS