After an announcement from Lausanne Hockey Club of the Swiss NL, Michael Raffl's career in the NHL appears to be over. In nine NHL seasons with three clubs, the 33-year old Austrian forward scored 179 points in 590 games, including 11 points in 39 playoff games.
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Even at this stage in his career, Raffl is an effective player. His scoring touch has never really been there, his season-best totaling 31 points, but he still provides adequate offensive depth while being a top-tier defensive forward. Raffl sports a strong penalty differential & strong penalty-killing numbers, which are useful to every hockey team. So it would be surprising if this player did not receive NHL offers. Instead, I almost wonder if he elected to return to Europe for family purposes because he is still a decent player.
