Former Wing Frans Nielsen wants to play more regularly with his next team

Two items of Frans Nielsen-related note hit the wires this morning:

1. Nielsen spoke with SN.dk this morning, telling Af Riatzu that he’s looking to play more if he leaves the NHL. Here’s a rough translation of the pertinent part of the article, which discusses his desire to play more regularly:

“If we managed to win it in Olympic qualification, I’d like to go to a place where I play a lot, so I can be in the right shape. In Europe, you’re more confident of your playing time.”

“If we miss the Olympics, I can better afford to have an icy stomach and wait for the right thing to appear,” says Frans Nielsen.

Although he’s turned 37 and has almost 1,000 NHL games on his resume, he’s not let go of his boyhood dream of winning the sport’s biggest tropy.

“I still dream of winning the Stanley Cup, even if I have to play a little less. If there are still any teams in the NHL who feel they need depth on their team, then it can be difficult to say, ‘No, thank you,'” says Frans Nielsen.

He got news that he was done with the Detroit Red Wings last week. It sent the experienced center on the hunt for a team on a far from optimal time, with many teams having their rosters in place for next season. Nielsen himself, however, is confident.

“Of course, it changes some things when you have family, but it’s not something that I’m losing sleep over. I know there are opportunities on the market.”

“Had it happened in June, it would have course been much easier. But I think it’s under control, and there are good opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic,” says Frans Nielsen.

2. According to Hockeynews.se’s Uffe Bodin, the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks’ GM, Patrik Sylvegard, says that he’s having “great discussions” with Nielsen, who apparently lives in the Malmo area with his Swedish wife (Nielsen broke into the SHL with the Redhawks).

Sylvegard feels that Nielsen might want to play more regularly if the Danes manage to qualify for the Olympics (this seems to be something of a theme here).