It was already known that Jaroslav Janus was the odd man out In the Tampa Bay Lightning system after the Bolts signed former first round pick Riku Helenius to a contract, bringing him back to North America from his extended European stay the past two and a half seasons.
That left the young Slovak searching for a home and playing time for the 2012-13 season. Janus’ development would not be aided by being a third wheel in Syracuse behind Helenius and Dustin Tokarski, and the ECHL would also not be a productive option.
So, it’s off to Europe Jaroslav had to go, where playing options were sure to be had in one of the competitive leagues there.
As it turns out, Slovan of the KHL has signed Janus to a tryout contract that runs through the end of the month (the web page is in Slovak, but Google Translate gives a general gist of what is said in the piece). Even if things do not work out with Slovan, this will likely lead to other opportunities for Jaroslav in Europe.
As a restricted free agent who was tendered a qualifying offer, the Lightning retain Janus’ rights.
