In addition to the already confirmed departures of Guerra (HC Ambrì-Piotta), Künzle (EHC Biel), Kenins (Lausanne HC), Sjögren (Rögle BK/SHL), the retirement of Seger, as well as the confirmed arrivals of Bodenmann, Hollenstein, and Noreau, there are some question marks behind players like Klein, Blindenbacher, Pestoni, and Shore.
Although Kevin Klein had pre-announced his retirement at the beginning of March, his decision has yet to be confirmed, as Leuenberger and the 33-year-old Canadian defender, who was undoubtedly a key player on the way to the Lions' ninth Championship title, supposedly agreed to sit together and discuss this topic again once the season has come to an end.
As for Severin Blindenbacher, who still has an ongoing contract with the Lions until 2020, his future seems to be unclear, too. This past season, the 35-year-old defender suited up in only ten games due to another concussion. According to the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, he is bothering about the continuation of his career.
There seem to be also question marks behind Inti Pestoni and Drew Shore. Despite a valid contract for next season, Pestoni apparently no longer figures in Leuenberger's roster plans for 2018-19. Also the 27-year-old American forward Drew Shore could potentially leave the club over the course of this summer despite an ongoing contract.
Canadian forward Linden Vey, 26, who joined the Lions from Barys Astana in mid-January this year, might return to the Kontinental Hockey League and suit up for CSKA Moscow as of the 2018-19 season. The future of the 31-year-old Finnish forward Lauri Korpikoski, on the other hand, has yet to be determined.
Last but not least: Robert Nilsson. The 33-year-old Swede, who is in possession of a Swiss players' license, spent the last few weeks in the United States to treat his concussion. During the final series against Lugano, Nilsson returned to Zürich and is expected to be re-integrated into the team during summer practice.
As for further Swiss additions to the team, according to the Tages-Anzeiger, the Lions are likely done in that regard. EHC Kloten's Dominik Egli is also not of interest to them. They might also start the 2018-19 season with five import players.
Last Update: 29 April 2018, 11:25 PM | rlu
