Victor Rask signs in Switzerland
After failing to contract with Columbus after attending a training camp with them on a PTO arrangement, veteran Victor Rask has found his next team as Fribourg-Gotteron from the Swiss NLA announced that they signed the center to a one-year contract.
The 29-year-old started his career at Carolina and quickly became a key two-way player for them, breaking through as a full-time player in 2014-15. Early on, it looked like he would be a permanent part of their long-term plans. However, Rask’s production dropped significantly in 2018-19, leading to a trade involving two players who underperformed. For the Hurricanes, the landing went really well Nino Niederreiter but not so well for Minnesota as Rask’s struggles continued.
In the last couple of seasons, Rask’s role has dwindled from a top-six starter to a fourth-liner to a total failure as a reserve forward. He cleared the waivers last season and was briefly sent to the minors before Seattle acquired him at the close of trade. Rask played relatively well for the Kraken, scoring eight points in 18 games, but it wasn’t enough to earn him a guaranteed NHL deal this summer.
A move abroad could be the best thing for Rask at this point in his career. Rather than serving in a reserve forward role (which he likely would have had had he signed a contract with Columbus) or as a minor league callback, the move to Switzerland will give him the opportunity to add the kind of minutes play he had with Carolina earlier in his career. A good performance in that role at Fribourg-Gotteron could put Rask back on the NHL radar as soon as next summer, which would certainly make that decision a wise one.