Jan Rutta is close to signing with Genève-Servette of Switzerland's National League for the upcoming season, with no contract length disclosed. The 35-year-old defenseman would return to Europe after eight years in the NHL. Rutta has 98 points and 219 penalty minutes in 417 NHL regular-season games and 11 points in 49 playoff games. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay. Genève-Servette plans to begin the season with seven import players and already has several foreign players under contract for 2025-26, including Jesse Puljuj e4rvi. The club won national and Champions Hockey League titles recently but missed the last two playoffs. Rutta has been suspended one game by the IIHF World Championship Disciplinary Panel.
If correct, it would mean a return to Europe after eight years in the NHL for the 35-year-old. Rutta has 98 points and 219 penalty minutes in 417 NHL regular-season games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and San Jose Sharks. He also has 11 points in 49 playoff games and is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay.
According to the report, Gen e8ve-Servette sports director Marc Gautschi has said that he wants to start the upcoming season with seven import players. The club already has under contract for the 2025-26 season Finns Puljuj e4rvi, Markus Granlund, Sakari Manninen and Vili Saarij e4rvi, Canadian Taylor Beck and American Jimmy Vesey. Gen e8ve-Servette team won its first-ever national championship in Switzerland in 2023-24 after a century of existance and then won the Champions Hockey League in 2024-25, but has missed the playoffs the last two National League seasons.
Collection
[
|
...
]