Defenceman Magnus Nygren has chosen to sign with HC Davos in Switzerland for the 2017-18 season, leaving Fajerstad of the Swedish Hockey League.
Welcome to Davos @Magnusnygrenn! Der Captain aus @farjestad_bk wechselt zum @Hockeysince1921; https://t.co/gO0AYmS28v #blaugelbesherz pic.twitter.com/mWSeQeouRt
— Hockey Club Davos (@Hockeysince1921) April 12, 2017
The 2011 fourth-round draft by the Montreal Canadiens has not played in North America since 2015, leaving the Hamilton Bulldogs mid-season after suffering a concussion. Hopes were high for Nygren in the Canadiens organization given his booming slapshot, but he never earned a regular season recall to the NHL, while only playing 14 and 15 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs during his two season entry-level contract.
He returned to play with Fajerstad in 2015-16 in the SHL, where he was their captain for the past two seasons.
His stay in North America was short and tumultuous, counting several injuries and an incident which involved his brother getting mugged in Burlington. He also was quoted as saying that “Hamilton is Canada’s most criminal city”, clearly showing a difficulty adapting to North America, especially in the industrial city of Hamilton. (Author’s note: I’ve been in Hamilton since 2009. It’s getting much better.)
The Canadiens gave Nygren a qualifying offer in the summer of 2015, meaning that the team retained his rights, and he was a restricted free agent in the eyes of the NHL. Since then, the two parties never came to any new terms and the rights to the player expire on June 30th.
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