Michael Raffl is ready for a return in Europe.
But it won’t happen in Leksand – who wanted to sign the forward home.
Instead, the star has signed for another European club.
Earlier this summer, Leksand’s sporting director, Thomas Johansson, told us that they wanted to sign NHL star Michael Raffl. The forward has a past at the club, and became hugely loved by the Leksand fans.
Became a crowd favorite
The Austrian was involved and played Leksand to the SHL in the 2012/13 season. He was one of the team’s best players with 52 points in 59 games, but did not follow the Dala club up into Sweden’s top league.
Instead, Michael Raffl continued his career in Philadelphia and the NHL, where he remained until spring earlier this year. When his contract expired, it was clear that the forward wanted to return to Europe – and Leksand was quick to announce his interest.
Now, however, it is clear that Raffl, with over 500 NHL games on the merit list, is not returning to Dalarna.
Ready for new club
Instead, he has signed a two-year contract with the Swiss team Lausanne.
– Michael has shown his value as a leader in the NHL and in the Austrian national team. He is a versatile player who can play both as a center and as a wing forward. We look forward to having him in our organization for the next two seasons, says coach John Fust to the club’s website.
This means that Michael Raffl will now be teammates with SHL profile Robin Kovacs, who left Örebro earlier this year.
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