Two stars wobble

KAC has to tighten its squad belt

KAC boss Oliver Pilloni wants to prepare himself financially for the future.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Exactly two weeks have passed since the KAC's defeat in the seventh game of the final against Salzburg - in the meantime, the squad planning has been going on for some time. One thing is clear: squad costs will be reduced for the coming season. Also because money from the Horten Foundation will be coming in for the last time in the summer and the club wants to make provisions.

Runners-up KAC recently made people sit up and take notice. When bidding farewell to long-serving forward Manuel Ganahl, the club announced that it had removed the exit clause from his contract, which runs until 2025, in order to better align the new contract with the future salary structure. In other words: the belt will be tightened in Klagenfurt. "Yes, we have to cut back on squad costs," confirms boss Oliver Pilloni. "Expenditure is increasing - including for travel costs and everything else. You can't absorb that with sponsors alone. But it affects all clubs, the financial burden is increasing for everyone. Dornbin, for example, dropped out at the time because they could no longer afford the additional costs of 300,000 euros."

The KAC has not yet been able to reach an agreement with Nick Petersen.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

"Preparing for the future"
But saving is also the order of the day in Klagenfurt. Especially as this summer will be the last time the club will receive regular money from the Horten Foundation and will then have to stand on its own two feet: "We are already preparing for the future. Nevertheless, the salaries we are offering are still good." However, it is reported that no agreement was reached in the first round of negotiations with both defensive ace Paul Postma and striker Nick Petersen - both could leave the club after several years at Lake Wörthersee.

No solution has yet been found with Paul Postma either.(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Are more legionnaires coming?
Will more legionnaires arrive after the departures of local mainstays Lukas Haudum and Manuel Ganahl? "That's difficult to predict, we often talk about the future with the coaching team and are currently planning for the new season. It doesn't always have to be legionnaires, we also have great up-and-comers like van Ee or Sablattnig as replacements. But there are problems for me when it comes to home-grown youngsters. Only a few clubs are doing a good job with young talent, others want to profit from them." Is Austro-Belgian Senna Peeters (38 points in 41 games in Innsbruck, only 21 years old) an issue in Klagenfurt? Pilloni: "I don't even know if he's still on the market!"

Offensive field hockey in the final
Despite the bitter end in the final, the Red Jackets' general manager has enjoyed a thoroughly successful season. "It wasn't all bad because we lost the last game. We wanted to see attractive and offensive ice hockey. To get to the final and even game seven against Salzburg is something to be proud of. Even if the first few days after the defeat were tough - because it was one of the worst games of the whole year." 

Boss Pilloni is happy with the coaching team led by Kirk Furey (right).(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Happy with the coaches
Pilloni is very happy with the coaching team: "I wanted them to make players better - and they've done that with so many of them. They have done their job perfectly. They weren't an experiment for me either, I've known Kirk Furey and David Fischer for years."