So they're saying Kariya will definitely play?
According to an article in the Swedish news paper Östgöta Correspondenten, the Blues will play an exhibition game against top Swedish team Linköping HC on September 29.
"This is huge for Linköping, Östergötland (the "county"), and Swedish hockey. And perhaps it will give us some insight about the future for club hockey", says Linköping HC President Christer Mård.
Hopefully playing for the Blues on this night is Jonas Junland (currently in Peoria), who just last season was a key defenseman for Linköping. In fact, Junland is born and raised in Linköping, a town about 80 miles south west from the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
This season, Linköping HC finished the regular season with the Swedish Elite League's second best record. It's considered one of the absolute top teams in the country.
On the Linköping HC-website, General Manager Mike Helber is very excited: "It's for real! Something that could only be dreamed about 15 years ago, a team from the top hockey league in the World, NHL, will play in Linköping! Now our fans will get to experience what it's like when their favorite team is going head-to-head with them!"
As we all know, a few days later the Blues will open the 09-10 NHL regular season against the lowly (fuck) Detroit Red Wings in Stockholm.