One of the last remaining Blackhawks dynasty members signs in Slovakia with HC Slovan Bratislava
Former Chicago Blackhawk Richard Panik is heading back to his home country of Slovakia for the first time since his teenage years.
He's signed with HC Slovan Bratislava in the Slovakian Extraliga and will play through the league's international break in November.
Panik's NHL career is over, as the last time he played in the league was during the 2021-2022 season.
He had a brief stint with the New York Islanders, recording one assist in four games, but spent most of that season in the AHL with the Bridgeport Islanders.
After six years away from the AHL, Panik was loaned to Switzerland's Lausanne HC for the final year of his NHL contract in 2022-2023.
Instead of trying to return to the NHL, Panik, as a free agent, decided to play in the Czech Extraliga with HC Oceláři Třinec.
Now, Panik has found a new home in his country, Bratislava. He'll be the only player on HC Slovan with 521 NHL games under his belt.
Panik had moments of brilliance in the NHL, particularly during the 2016-2017 season when he scored 22 goals and 44 points with the Chicago Blackhawks.
After being traded midway through the 2017-2018 season, he remained a depth player in the league and eventually lost his scoring touch.
| POLL | ||
Were you a fan of this forward when he was in Chicago? | ||
| Yes | 44 | 61.1 % |
| No | 28 | 38.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
