While pending Blue Jackets restricted free agent Marko Dano will have to wait until Wednesday to learn if he has received a qualifying offer, he has found a place to play for now. While there was no formal announcement about him joining HK Dukla Trencin of the Slovak Extraliga, he recorded three points for them today which means he has signed a contract with them.
The 25-year-old was a first-round pick of Columbus back in 2013 (27th overall) but is actually in his second stint with the team with stops in Chicago, Winnipeg, and Colorado in between. While he entered this past season with 138 games of NHL experience, he only suited up in three games for the Blue Jackets in 2019-20. Most of his campaign was spent with AHL Cleveland where he only managed to score four goals along with 15 assists in 46 games.
Not surprisingly, that showing wasn’t good enough to land him a spot on their postseason roster. While Dano could still return to North America if he’s qualified or signs with another NHL team after being non-tendered, it’s also quite possible that the best move for him may be to play overseas and try to rediscover his scoring touch after seeing his stock fall as low as it has in recent years.