After considering a return to North America, former Buffalo Sabres forward Patrik Berglund will be staying in Sweden. He has signed a one-year contract with Djurgardens in the SHL.
Berglund, 31, famously walked away from more than $10MM on his final contract with the Sabres in 2018 due to mental health issues, leaving the team suddenly. He had played just 23 games for Buffalo since being included in the return for Ryan O’Reilly, and scored just four times during his time there. The three remaining seasons on his contract were terminated, and Berglund disappeared from the public eye for some time.
While he recently started exploring options to return, a year in Sweden to prove he is dedicated and productive again might have to be the first step. Once a consistent third-line center for the St. Louis Blues, Berglund is now several years removed from his last 20 goal season.
At age 31, it may be too little, too late for Bergie. You could just as easily wrote he “infamously walked away from more than $10MM”, very much like Kovalchuk. And if not for the Kings’ inexplicable interest (because of his Olympics performance?), he would still be in the KHL.