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Maybe for a year or so..but the influx of NHLer's overseas will fill up those slots..so you'll have a lot of openings for college players to make the NHL rosters.. It might even be good for the sport.

One more point..Many of the NHL players are married, kids..and they don't want to uproot their families for 6+ months to go overseas, and the wives don't want their husbands off alone that long..Don't discount the domestic pressure..

I remember 1980, when Ken Morrow went straight from the USA gold medal team to the Islander's first Cup..

I was thinking more about Europeans who wouldn't want to play in the NHL. People might think that's no great loss, and 20 years ago they may have been right. But without Europeans, just think of how much talent in today's NHL would simply vanish -- including the following (since 1990) . . .

-- almost half the Vezina Trophy winners for top goalie (six times for Hasek, plus once for Olaf Kolzig);

-- four different league MVPs (Federov, Hasek, Jagr, and Forsberg);

-- almost half the Calder Trophy winners for rookie of the year; and

-- arguably the best defenseman in the NHL today (Niklas Lidstrom).

In additon, these European stars are now disproportionately represented among the top goal scorers. Since Brett Hull last led the NHL in goals scored in 1992, only five of the fifteen league leaders in goals scored (including those who shared the lead) have been North Americans -- Mario Lemieux, Keith Tkachuk, Jarome Iginla (twice) and Rick Nash.

This league is going to be in a world of hurt if this modern brand of European player stays home.