After much back and forth, Loui Eriksson is ready for Frölunda.
Now he reveals how close it actually was to signing for an SHL rival.
– We talked, we had a dialogue, he says to RakaPuckar.com.
Loui Eriksson has a track record that few active Swedish hockey players can match. However, the last few years have been heavier, and this spring he left the NHL – and immediately the talk of a move to Frölunda gained momentum. This summer, the information about the interest intensified, but in the end Frölunda chose to nob the forward.
“Would have scared them earlier”
There was no place in the squad, and Loui Eriksson had to wait to sign for a club. He has not been on the ice since April, but this week the news came that the return is complete. When Frölunda released forward Radan Lenc to league competitor HV71, a spot opened up in the squad, and now he is in Gothenburg and has been training with the team.
But it was far from obvious that it turned out that way. Frölunda believes that it was not obvious that it would be Loui Eriksson when Lenc was released for HV71, and Loui Eriksson himself has been rumored for HV71 during the autumn. He believes that he would have put pressure on Frölunda earlier, because it was after that information that a signature fell into place.
– Yes … haha, I might have scared them earlier, he says to Rakapuckar.com.
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That’s how close he was to the rival
Loui Eriksson believes at the same time that the interest from HV71 was real, and that there were talks between the two. However, he is clear that he always wanted to go to Frölunda.
– We talked, we had a dialogue, but… I think deep down that… it felt a bit “cheesy” to get there, he says.
However, Loui Eriksson is honest that the nob last summer, when Frölunda chose not to sign a contract with the forward, took a toll.
– Of course I was disappointed, it was a bit tough that way. The ultimate thing would have been to come here and join us during the summer.
Loui Eriksson has played 1,050 games in the NHL, where he accounted for a total of 613 points. The merit list also includes WC gold and SM gold with Frölunda.
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