"Robert will no longer play hockey," Sven Leuenberger told Ticinonline a few days ago, at the same time excluding once again a possible arrival of Linus Klasen from the shores of lake Lugano: "We are not looking for a replacement and Klasen will not join us."
The 34-year-old Swedish-Canadian winger, whose contract is set to expire at season's end, is recovering from a severe concussion sustained in the game against Biel in mid-January more than one and a half year ago. Equipped with a Swiss players' license, Nilsson joined the ZSC Lions from KHL's Novgorod in 2013.
Ever since, the New York Islanders' 2003 first round pick has managed to put up 64 goals and 155 assists in a total of 242 games for the Lions. In 2014, in Game 4 of the playoff final series against Kloten, the native of Calgary scored the winning goal in the shootout to celebrate the club's eighth Championship title in history.
Overseas, Nilsson appeared in 121 AHL games for Bridgeport, Wilkes-Barre as well as Springfield (MA), recording 32 goals and 86 assists. In addition, on NHL level, he suited up in 252 games for the New York Islanders and the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 118 points (37 goals, 81 assists).
( 14 November 2019 | rlu* )
