Zack Kassian Abandons His New Team Despite Making The Playoffs
Zack Kassian, who announced his retirement back in October, has returned home after signing with a new team in Czechia
Zack Kassian's "un-retirement" appears to have come to an end. His new team has announced he's returned to North America as it prepares to begin the post season.
Kassian, 33, announced his retirement from pro hockey in Oct. 2023, after playing 661 regular season games in the NHL over the course of 11 seasons. However, in late January of this year, Kassian announced he was coming out of retirement and signed on with HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga. Now, Sparta Praha says Kassian has returned home to North America after a mutual agreement to end his contract.
With regard to the player's privacy and the ongoing playoffs, we will not discuss the termination of cooperation in detail. We have a sufficiently wide squad that we trust 100% in the ongoing playoffs." - Tomas Divisek, head of Sparta's sports department, Hockej.cz
Kassian had played just eight games with Sparta, scoring 2 goals and 3 points. Whatever the reasons behind his decision to leave, hopefully he and his family are ok.
While drafted by Buffalo 13th overall in 2009, Kassian is perhaps best known for his time with the Edmonton Oilers, where he played from 2015 to 2022. Despite his high draft standings, Kassian mostly made his money with his fists, and by being a gritty, relentless player.
Source: Hockej.cz
| POLL | ||
Do you think this is it for Kassian? | ||
| Yes | 156 | 91.2 % |
| No | 7 | 4.1 % |
| Not sure | 8 | 4.7 % |
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