Canadian forward Derick Brassard, who hasn’t played since late in the 2022-23 season, is going to end his retirement and play in Switzerland, according to numerous sources. Swiss media outlet Blick reported on Wednesday that National League club Genève-Servette was interested in signing the 38-year-old native of Gatineau, Que. “Yes, I'm interested in him,” Servette sports manager Marc Gautschi confirmed to Blick’s Grégory Beaud [https://www.blick.ch/fr/sport/hockey/national-league/hockey-une-legende-de-nhl-pour-renforcer-geneve-servette-id21505121.html]. “There’s a possibility he might want to play again, and we’re definitely in the running.” On Thursday, a tweet from X account Dans le Vestiaire avec Nicolas St-Pierre [https://x.com/DLV_STP/status/1998781056858595412], reported that Brassard had already signed with Genève-Servette. That tweet was in turn quoted by Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, who has since deleted it. Several other media outlets have since reported it as a done deal. To this point, the Genève-Servette club has not announced the signing. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened – in Europe, and especially in Switzerland, there is often a substantial amount of time between when a contract is signed and when it’s announced. In any case, it appears that if Brassard hasn’t already signed with the club, it could happen soon. It would mark a return almost three years after suffering a broken leg while playing for the Ottawa Senators [http://thn.com/ottawa] on March 30, 2023. A star junior player with the QMJHL [http://thn.com/qmjhl]’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, Brassard was drafted sixth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets [http://thn.com/columbus] in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Erik Brännström Signs Multi-Year Deal In Switzerland [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/664ee007-528b-4487-8084-bf2a6dd9c0f2.webp] Erik Brännström Signs Multi-Year Deal In Switzerland Swedish defenseman Erik Brännström, 25, has signed a three-year contract with Lausanne HC, the National League club announced on Monday. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/erik-brannstrom-signs-multi-year-deal-in-switzerland] Between 2007 and 2023, Brassard played 1,013 NHL regular-season games for the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers [http://thn.com/nyrangers], Pittsburgh Penguins [http://thn.com/pittsburgh], Florida Panthers [http://thn.com/florida], Colorado Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado], New York Islanders [http://thn.com/nyislanders], Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers [http://thn.com/philadelphia], Edmonton Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton], and Senators, recording 545 points and 465 penalty minutes. He also played in 118 playoff games, recording 68 points and 56 minutes. Genève-Servette currently sits fifth in the 14-team National League with 53 points in 32 games. The team's roster includes former NHLers Jesse Puljujärvi [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/confirmed-jesse-puljujarvi-signs-multi-year-contract-in-switzerland], Markus Granlund [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/markus-granlund-signs-with-swiss-club-geneve-servette], Jimmy Vesey [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/nine-year-nhl-veteran-signs-two-year-deal-in-switzerland], Josh Jooris, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Jan Rutta [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/report-jan-rutta-will-sign-in-switzerland] and Tim Berni, whose NHL rights are still retained by Columbus. CONFIRMED: Jesse Puljujärvi Signs Multi-Year Contract in Switzerland [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/fc4cbae2-6295-4fc6-979e-896c7d3c3fb7.webp] CONFIRMED: Jesse Puljujärvi Signs Multi-Year Contract in Switzerland Finnish winger Jesse Puljujärvi, 27, has signed a two-year contract with Genève-Servette,<a href="https://www.gshc.ch/actualites/detail/article/jesse-puljujaervi-au-gshc-pour-deux-ans"> the National League club announced</a> on Tuesday. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/confirmed-jesse-puljujarvi-signs-multi-year-contract-in-switzerland]
