Michael Russo's Sunday insider: A plea falls on deaf ears

David Joles, Dml - Star Tribune

Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster is back on the ice but knows his road to recovery is far from complete.

Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster hoped he could spend more time in the minor leagues to rehab, but the league said no.

By MICHAEL RUSSO, Star Tribune

Last update: January 24, 2009 - 10:11 PM

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Last March 19, Kurtis Foster's left femur snapped in half. Three people told Foster it was "the worst break they've ever seen in a person's leg."

Many people privately were skeptical he would ever play again. He still walks with a limp.

Yet here we are, a little more than nine months later, and the Wild defenseman is close to reporting to Houston for a conditioning stint.

Foster has worked incredibly hard to get to this point. It has taken a lot of patience.

But more patience is needed.

Despite coming so far, Foster believes he is being rushed back by the NHL.

According to Section 13.8 of the collective bargaining agreement, teams are not permitted to send players to the minors on "conditioning loans" for longer than "14 consecutive days."

Upon Foster's request, the Wild begged the league to make an exception. The team offered up Foster's medical records. The team offered to fly Foster to New York to be examined by NHL doctors.

Yet, the league refused to make an exception. If Foster is in Houston one second longer than two weeks, he will have to clear waivers.

"I get how the league's worried about teams hiding guys in the minors, but in my situation, it's out there, everybody knows, it's in the media, the fans know, the league knows. I had a serious, serious injury," Foster said. "Medically, I need to start at a level to see where I'm at, take my time and eventually make it back up here.

"I mean, I might go down there, play one game and be like, 'Oh, I'm not quite ready.' In the AHL, they just play weekends, and they play three games in three nights. I haven't played in 10 months. I'm not going to be able to play three in three. It's just too bad I can't go down and take the time I need to get ready.

"We've tried everything we can, but we have to abide by the rule."

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly did not return an e-mail sent by the Star Tribune. The NHLPA said it is aware of the issue and the "agent and club are exploring all options under the CBA."

This seems such an injustice. This was a career-threatening injury. Foster still feels pain at times, and he knows the hardest part is still to come -- the mental toll that will come when he is chasing down a puck in the corner again.

Yet he has reached the final leg of this agonizing journey, and he has to deal with unnecessary pressure.

"To be there for three or four weeks, I'd be a lot better off," Foster said. "They work on development skills and skating and trying to make the kids better. That's perfect for me right now."

Technically, after Foster's two-week conditioning stint, the Wild can recall him and petition the league for more time. But the NHL has told the Wild that granting an extension is not guaranteed.

"There should be a rule where if you miss 50 games or a certain amount of months, extensions are given if the player gives consent," Foster said. "I'm going to bring this up at our [NHLPA] summer meetings. I mean, they change rules all the time. They should change this rule in the middle of this [CBA].

"It's just too bad the PA can't step in and say, 'We're OK with it. The player's OK with it. The agent's OK with it. Let him go down for as long as he needs.'"

Foster certainly deserves that.

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