Former Penguins Defenseman Walks Away From the NHL to Sign Contract in Europe
Jan Rutta has had a very solid NHL career, but after his stint with the Sharks, he's heading back to Europe after signing a free agent deal this off-season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have added some solid pieces this off-season, and recently, it was speculated that perhaps they could target a reunion with veteran defenseman Jan Rutta.
This comes on the back of another solid season with the San Jose Sharks in which he posted 3 goals and 9 points in 54 games played for the young team, with the 35-year old heading towards September without a new deal in place as he remained a free agent.
Jan Rutta, Member of the 2023 Penguins, Unable to Find a New NHL Team for Next Year
Now however, his new team has been confirmed, as a report from The Hockey News has revealed that Rutta is signing in Switzerland with Geneve-Servette for the upcoming campaign.
It's unclear how long the deal is, as the announcement just revealed that it was a deal for at least the 2025/26 season, but with Rutta to be 36-years of age at the end of the year, it's very likely that this is the end of his NHL career after eight solid seasons for the undrafted defenseman between Chicago, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and San Jose.
If that's the case, the Czech blue liner has had a solid run, tallying 23 goals and 98 points in 417 games played while hoisting the Stanley Cup twice as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but for now, his future is beyond the NHL, with the chance that we never see him in North America again.
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