Recently we looked at some of the veteran names still available on the free agent market, and one of those who could potentially still make an NHL impact was Jannik Hansen. The experienced winger was limited to just 46 games last season for the San Jose Sharks, but won’t get a chance to improve on that total in 2018-19. That’s because Hansen is expected to sign a one-year deal with CSKA Moscow in the KHL, according to Russian news outlet Championat.
The 32-year old forward has played 626 regular season games during a lengthy NHL career, which included a 22-goal campaign for the Vancouver Canucks in 2015-16. Though he’s never returned to that level, he’ll still go down as one of the best players from Denmark to ever suit up in the NHL. His 256 career points ranks only behind Frans Nielsen and Mikkel Boedker on the all-time list, while leading the small group in both +/- and game-winning goals.
He’ll join a powerhouse organization in CSKA who should be competitive again next season, led by the offensive prowess of Kirill Kaprizov and the all-star goaltending of Ilya Sorokin. Hansen will try to contribute at both ends of the ice, and perhaps show that he could still be a worthwhile gamble for the NHL next season.