Trade Deadline - Avon Gale Page 0,8
it be emotionally fulfilling to use his experience as a veteran player to help a struggling team? And not just any team. He still had his childhood Thunder jerseys buried in the back of his closet. Once upon a time, they’d been the team of his prepubescent heart.
Daniel might not have fifty-goal seasons to offer, but he did have a wealth of knowledge and years of playing the game in an ever-changing league. If they were looking for proven leadership experience, he had plenty to offer.
“We would love to have you on our roster,” Vladimir put in when the silence dragged on for a minute or two. “You know where we are in the standings. Team morale is—” he spread his hands, grimacing “—nonexistent, and there are real concerns that the league might decide Miami isn’t a hockey town and move the team elsewhere, if not pull the plug on the franchise entirely.”
Daniel frowned. He’d hate to see Miami lose its hockey team. While it hadn’t happened in years, it was an unfortunate reality that the NHL would move or dissolve a team if it became a financial liability. At the end of the day, hockey was a business like anything else. Money mattered.
“We do not expect miracles,” Vladimir went on. “But we need to reevaluate our strategy up to this point. The team needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, and this is an opportunity for a player like yourself to be involved in that process. You could potentially be instrumental in helping the Thunder move in a new, positive direction. I know many of the players would value the experience you bring to the ice.”
Daniel had to admit, it felt good to have the team he’d long admired actively recruiting him. He couldn’t help but be flattered. It was one thing to believe he had value to offer the Thunder’s organization; it was another to have that belief confirmed. Despite how much it would hurt to leave the Venom and his friends, something about going to Miami appealed. He could be somewhere he might truly make a difference. He could offer guidance to players who were new to the league and floundering. He could be near his family again.
Maybe it was time for a change. Maybe being on a new team would give him a second wind. A Renaissance year.
Even if Tabby didn’t want to move, the hockey season was only around eight months, and that was if a team made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. With the Thunder, that wasn’t a very likely prospect. Daniel and Tabby could work out a visitation schedule easily enough, and after the season was over, they’d reassess. There was really nothing to stop him. No matter which contract he chose, nothing beyond this next season was guaranteed to him. Both off and on the ice, Daniel never had been one for taking risks, but perhaps it was time to change his thinking. He only had a limited amount of hockey years left. He could choose the safe option—staying with the Venom for one final year—or he could roll the dice with a new team and see what happened.
Daniel met Vladimir’s dark eyes across the table. The smile that came to his face felt natural, free of the uncertainty and stress he’d been nursing for weeks. San Diego had never truly been an option, although he’d let them have their say for his own peace of mind, and they’d offered him three years instead of one. The Fury was a solid team. They didn’t need his help the way the Thunder did. Going to Miami? That felt right in a way he couldn’t put into words, like he was moving toward the destiny he’d always envisioned. Returning to Florida had always been his long-term goal anyway.
“You have a deal, Mr. Fetisov. Let’s see what we can do together.”
Chapter Four
Micah headed toward his office, stopping to say hello to the new volunteers who were attending orientation. A lot of their volunteer staff were college students, and the fall always meant a return to school and the need to find some nice retired folks to fill in—not that Florida ever had a dearth of those. Gina, the volunteer coordinator, was leading them around and pointing out the sorts of things they could expect; mostly questions about where the bathrooms were, or how to find lost children.
“You probably don’t want to make a joke about throwing the lost children