Oilers defenseman abandons ship and heads to Europe

Niemelainen mostly played with the Bakersfield Condors, although he did have 43 games of NHL experience under his belt. The Edmonton Oilers were ready to welcome him back this season, even if most of his time would be spent in the AHL, grinding away with some of the development players.

Well, as it turns out, Niemelainen is moving on from the NHL. According to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, Niemelainen will be heading to Germany where he will play for Eisbaren Berlin.

This is a huge opportunity for the Finnish star as he now gets to go back to Europe and spend some time closer to home. It remains to be seen whether or not this will be a permanent move or if he is simply looking to springboard himself back into the league. Whatever the case may be, we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

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Source: HockeyDB
Markus Niemelainen Statistics