Leo Komarov signs in Sweden
In early August, we covered rumors that the veteran NHL forward Leo Komarov would spend the 2022-23 season in the SHL. While it turns out that Brynas won’t be the club that brings Komarov next season, Komarov has ended up in the SHL after all. According to a team releaseLuleå HF has signed Komarov to a one-year contract.
Komarov, 35, is a veteran of nearly 500 NHL games. He played for two teams during his NHL career, the New York Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and has scored 170 points in his 491 career NHL games. Komarov’s most recent run was with the Islanders, where he played as a low-ranked bottom six on a team that went to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals.
The best years of Komarov’s career came with the Toronto Maple Leafs, highlighted by a 2015-16 season in which he scored 19 goals and 36 points and represented Maple Leafs in the 2016 All-Star Game A sixth-round pick in 2006, Komarov’s NHL career came after a long stretch of development in the KHL.
Komarov made his return to the KHL last season and skated in 18 regular season contests and 16 playoff contests for SKA St. Petersburg and scored a total of nine points. Komarov helped Finland win gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and joins a Luleå team that failed to win the SHL championship last season.
While a return to the NHL for Komarov is likely out of the picture, it’s definitely possible that he spends the rest of his playing days as a quality forward in European leagues while also participating in international tournaments.