After a good showing in the SHL the previous two seasons, Emil Djuse decided to try his hand at playing in North America this season and signed with Dallas back in April of 2019. However, after failing to reach the NHL with them or Florida (who acquired him in February), he has opted to head back overseas as Spartak Moscow of the KHL announced that they’ve signed the pending restricted free agent to a one-year contract.
The 26-year old spent the majority of the season with AHL Texas where he collected a respectable 29 points (4-25-29) in 48 games, more points than he had amassed in a single year over his seven professional seasons in Sweden between the SHL and Allsvenskan levels. That was enough for the Panthers to move a sixth-round pick (Buffalo’s 2020 selection) at the trade deadline to bring Djuse in for extra depth. He got into five games with their minor league affiliate in Springfield where he had a goal and two assists before the COVID-19 pandemic shelved the rest of the AHL season.
At 26, Djuse is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason but is only a year away from becoming an unrestricted free agent so a qualifying offer wouldn’t do much from Florida’s perspective. Meanwhile, with this deal, Djuse gives himself a guaranteed place to play next season with the fate of the AHL schedule in question and a good showing there could get him back on the North American radar in 2021.