Defenseman Tim Berni rejected a contract offer from the Blue Jackets this summer, leaving him an uncertain future.
According to Blick, a Swiss German-language daily newspaper based in Zurich, defenseman Tim Berni still hopes to play in North America. Berni’s agent Gaetan Voisard told Blick, “Everything is still open. We work on a solution. North America is still a priority for Tim”.
Columbus still owns his rights, so if anything happens it would need to be by trade. Berni played in 59 games last season for the injury-riddled Blue Jackets and served the team well. However, the contract offered to him was $874,125, down from $925,000, and was a two-way contract. With the moves the CBJ made this summer, Berni probably would’ve never played in Columbus unless they had a multitude of injuries again.
Berni, who is currently training in his home country of Switzerland, hopes to play in North America, but it’s looking more and more like he will need to play in Europe. The days are ticking off fast and before we know it, training camps will be here, so his chances of playing in America are becoming slim. He also didn’t make the Swiss national team, so he has little leverage.
We will keep you updated on the story.
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