David Rundblad to Sign with ZSC Lions: Report

According to Nicola Berger of nzz.ch, Swedish offensive defenseman David Rundblad has signed a contract with the ZSC Lions of the NLA. It is not a surprise that he concluded his NHL career thus far, as he was first put on buy-out waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks, then the club and the team agreed to part ways during the free-agency period.

Swedish D @DavidRundblad will return to @zsclions. New assistant coach Lars Johansson was his GM at #Skelleftea. https://t.co/pfniG2S6ib

— Nicola Berger (@nbrnzz) September 1, 2016

Rundblad, 25, was expected to return to ZSC after he spent the second part of the 2015-16 season with the club. The Zurich-based team will most likely be amongst the contenders for the 2016-17 NLA title. They have lost Auston Matthews and Denis Malgin, but they have a good core of Swiss players and this summer signed Latvian forward Ronalds Kenins from the Vancouver Canucks’ system. Their lineup features other former NHL players, such as Ryan Shannon, Robert Nilsson, Patrick Thoresen and Roman Wick, who played only seven games for the Ottawa Senators in 2010.

The offensive blueliner was a hot prospect a few years ago, having been a first round pick in 2009 (17^th overall by the St. Louis Blues), but failed to live up to the expectations.