Former NHLer comes out of retirement after 5 years; still being paid by NHL team
It isn't often you see professional hockey players come out of retirement, especially after not playing pro hockey for five years, but that's exactly what one former NHLer is doing. It has been announced that 40-year-old Christian Ehrhoff, who played close to 800 games in the NHL during his career, is back in the game for the first time since 2018, signing a deal with the Krefeld Pinguine of Germany's DEL2, which is his hometown team.
Despite not playing in the NHL since the 2015-16 season, Ehrhoff is still collecting a salary from an NHL team. In 2011, he signed a 10-year, $40 million deal with the Buffalo Sabres. It would not work out well for either side, and he was bought out of the remainder of the contract in 2014, making him a free agent. As a result of the buy-out, Ehrhoff collects around $850,000 a year from the Sabres for a total of 14 years. He will continue to collect the money until the end of the 2027-28 season.
Ehrhoff began his NHL career with the San Jose Sharks. Besides that team and Buffalo, he also played for the Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, LA Kings and Chicago Blackhawks.
Ehrhoff has been brought in by the Pinguine in the hopes of returning to DEL, Germany's 1st-tier pro league, after the 2023-24 season. In a news release, Ehrhoff stated his passion for hockey was reignited after watching the playoffs in Germany this season. He said he sought the go ahead from his family, and received their support.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 26 | 385 ANSWERS Former NHLer comes out of retirement after 5 years; still being paid by NHL team Are you happy 10+ year contracts are no longer allowed in the NHL? | ||
| Yes, it should never have been allowed | 206 | 53.5 % |
| If player and team agree, I don't see an issue | 140 | 36.4 % |
| Not sure | 39 | 10.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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APRIL 27, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Sidney Crosby | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Rasmus Ristolainen | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Alex Bump | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ian Cole | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Connor Dewar | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kristopher Letang | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Travis Sanheim | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Schmaltz | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cole Smith | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Elmer Soderblom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Cates | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lawson Crouse | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Sean Durzi | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Noah Hanifin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Travis Konecny | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Blake Lizotte | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||