SHL club announced the departure of three Leijonat players – two returning to the Liiga?
The Malmö Redhawks, playing in the SHL, have announced the departure of three Finnish players. The club states on its website that Joona Ikonen, Topi Niemelä, and Robin Salo are leaving the team.
Ikonen, 27, had a disastrous second season in Malmö in terms of performance. The Ilves product recorded 2+6=8 points in 52 games, so understandably, there was no place for the winger in the team for the next season. Ikonen is reported to be close to signing with TPS.
Niemelä, 24, moved to the SHL this season from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and played 52 regular season games with 4+14=18 points. Niemelä has reportedly received an offer from at least Färjestad, although Expressen also hinted at the defender’s possible return to Liiga.
Of the trio, Salo, 27, performed by far the best this season, scoring 7+33=40 points in 52 regular season games. Malmö would have liked to keep the defender in their ranks, but the scoring ace is returning to his old team Örebro for the next season.
According to Salo’s recent interview, there is also a backdoor possibility for a return to North America.
The season for Malmö, which finished eighth in the regular season, ended in the SHL quarter-finals against the regular season champions Skellefteå, with a match score of 1-4.
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