Czech winger Dominik Kubalík has spent the past five seasons in the NHL, but this summer, the 28-year-old unrestricted free agent seems to be finding it hard to attract offers. For that reason, Klaus Zaug of Swiss website Watson is claiming through multiple Swiss sources that negotiations are ongoing for Kubalík’s return to Ambri-Protta, where he played for a season and a half before going to the NHL.
Kubalík signed with the Chicago Blackhawks in the summer of 2019 and, in his rookie season, scored 30 goals and 46 points in a regular season that was shortened to 68 games due to the onset of the pandemic. He then recorded eight points in nine games in the Edmonton playoff bubble.
However, his production declined in the following years with the Hawks and Detroit Red Wings. Last season with the Ottawa Senators, Kubalík recorded just 15 points in 74 games. While some teams might be willing to take a chance on him by offering a two-way deal, but, as Zaug claims, it might be more financially advantageous to sign in Switzerland:
-“In five years, the Czech sniper has earned a good 13 million dollars gross, most recently 2.5 million in Ottawa. In North America, the government collects around 50 percent of this in taxes. Continuing an NHL career therefore only makes sense with a guaranteed salary (with a one-way contract) of at least one million. In Switzerland, net salaries are paid plus all kinds of fringe benefits such as housing, a car or travel expenses.”
That doesn't even factor in the ease of travel in Switzerland compared to the NHL and especially the AHL. In Switzerland's National League, teams rarely play on back-to-back days and all cities are close enough that players are usually home and sleeping in their own beds even after away games.
In recent years, the popularity of signing in Switzerland over other European leagues, regardless of nationality, has become a clear trend. This off-season alone, ex-NHLers Markus Granlund, Jacob Larsson, Janne Kuokkanen, Waltteri Merelä, Lias Andersson, Sami Niku, Fredrik Olofsson and Radim Zohorna have all signed with National League clubs – several turning down two-way NHL contracts to do so.
Additionally, Kubalík genuinely enjoyed his time in Ambri, a mountain resort town in southern Switzerland. He was productive there too, recording 91 points in 80 regular-season and playoff games. In his one full season there, 2018-19, he led the National League in scoring with 57 points.