NHL veteran surpassed the League – lucrative offer did not change the decision

The American defender Paul LaDue, who has attracted interest from league teams, will not continue his career in Finland. The defender has signed an extension with Rögle BK, which plays in Sweden’s SHL.

Rögle announced on Tuesday that the 33-year-old LaDue will remain with the club under a contract that runs until the end of the 2026–27 season.

LaDue’s future was uncertain for a long time after his successful debut season. He arrived at Rögle before last season on a one-year contract.

According to Expressen, the defender attracted interest from several clubs in different leagues. Offers came from both Germany and Finland, and some of them would have been financially better than his current contract.

However, the offer from Liiga did not persuade the experienced defender to change clubs, and he decided to continue his career in Sweden.

– Paul is a reliable player and he had a really strong finish to last season. He is a solid player defensively, but also contributed offensively. We have had positive discussions with Paul since the end of the season, and when our own pieces fell into place, we concluded that he is the best complement to our current defense, Rögle’s sports director Hampus Sjöström commented on the club’s website.

LaDue played 47 games in the SHL regular season last year and recorded 19 points. In the playoffs, he registered four points in 17 games as Rögle advanced all the way to the finals.

The American defender also has experience in the NHL. He has played a total of 70 NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Islanders.