32-year-old NHL veteran admits he's already contemplating retiring from the NHL
After 12 seasons in the NHL split between the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks, forward Jakob Silfverberg says next season very well could be his last in North America. Silfverberg was interviewed in Anaheim by a Swedish Media outlet. He made it clear that with one year left on his contract with the Ducks, it is his plan to finish his career with his hometown hockey team Brynas IF.
"I have one year left on my contract here in Anaheim with the Ducks, but then I can very well imagine moving home and playing with Brynäs again. It has always been my idea to finish my career there."
Brynas is in a tough spot at the moment. For the first time in the team's history, the club has been relegated from the SHL to HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second tier hockey league. Silfverberg was asked if he'd return even if Brynas doesn't make it back to the SHL next year. His answer was yes.
"As long as I stay injury-free, nothing has changed. I would think that would be fun."
As for the prospect of staying in the NHL after next season, Silfverberg said it isn't entirely off the table, but he wants to be realistic. He said it feels like 2023-24 will be his last in North America.
"Yes, that's probably how it feels. I'll be 33 years old, it will probably take a lot if it's not my last season in the NHL. But if I'm injury-free and the hunger remains, I want to finish my career in Brynäs. It feels like I have gotten into a new gear now during the last few weeks. I've had a fresh start."
Silfverberg is one of four players playing in the NHL that won a gold medal with Brynas in 2012. The other three are Mattias Ekholm (Edmonton), Calle Järnkrok (Toronto) and Elias Lindholm (Calgary).
Source: Expressen.se
| POLL | ||
Do you think Silfverberg will head home when his NHL contract is up, or find another NHL team? | ||
| He'll go home to play for Brynas | 26 | 72.2 % |
| He'll stay in the NHL | 8 | 22.2 % |
| I'm not sure | 2 | 5.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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