Former San Jose Sharks defenseman Markus Nutivaara's miracle comeback to hockey is continuing, as he signed with Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga for the 2026-27 season. Nutivaara's time in San Jose is easy to forget, considering he never played a regular season game for the Sharks. He signed a one-year contract with the team ahead of the 2022-23 season after missing the majority of the prior season due to injury. He suffered a major hip injury during his time with the Florida Panthers, and the Sharks hoped he'd be healthy enough to return at some point and he did play a couple of preseason games, but he was never able to play another regular season game. At just 29 years of age, Nutivaara was forced to retire from professional hockey. But after multiple seasons on the sidelines, he made a triumphant return last season as he signed with Karpat in Liiga and produced at a respectable rate, picking up 16 points in 35 games from the blue line. Nutivaara, now 32, then had a short stint in the German DEL with Kolner Haie, picking up two assists in three games. Now, Nutivaara will return for a second season in Liiga with a new team. At one point, his career seemed over, and although a return to North America likely isn't in the cards, Nutivaara overcame the odds and is in the middle of a miraculous comeback.
