Kärpät continues to closely monitor the situation of their former player Ville Koivunen. The Oulu club would be willing to do everything to bring the forward back to their ranks if Koivunen decides to continue his career in Europe.

The matter was reported by Kaleva.

Koivunen’s contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins ended last season. The forward, who is a restricted free agent, has received a contract extension offer from his NHL team, but a decision on accepting the contract has not yet been made.

Kärpät’s sports director Kimmo Kapanen tells Kaleva that the club is monitoring the situation, although no discussions about a return have taken place.

– Of course, I am following his situation, but we haven’t discussed it verbally in either direction. There are no headlines to be made right now.

If Koivunen were to return to Europe, Kärpät would be ready to actively pursue his services.

– If he decides to come to Europe, we will do everything we can to have him play for us. He is an extremely high-quality hockey player, and Kärpät is definitely interested, Kapanen commented on Kaleva’s pages.

Building Kärpät’s team for the next season is still ongoing. Kapanen also revealed that the club is currently negotiating with one player who played in the team last season regarding a possible contract extension.

Koivunen has played 47 games during two NHL seasons and scored 14 points (2+12) in them. In the AHL, he has accumulated a total of 98 points (35+63) in 109 games.

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