Red Wings defenseman Erik Gustafsson is 33 and is in the last year of his 2-year, $4 million contract. He’s training with Djurgardens IF of the SHL this August, and HockeyNews.se’s Uffe Bodin offers a paywalled article in which Gustafsson’s picture is prominently placed, with a bit of a tabloid-y “lede” included:
When Djurgården started its ice training in earnest for the season, Detroit and World Championship-defenseman Erik Gustafsson was involved.
And of course Djurgården hopes for his return.
“We try to keep as close contact with them as possible,” sports director Niklas Wikegård told Hockeynews.
If I had a dollar for every time that a European sports publication hinted that so-and-so would return home to play for their former sports team in the twilight days of their pro careers, I’d have at least several hundred dollars.
I don’t know whether Erik Gustafsson’s future plans involve a “return home,” but this is the kind of talk that sells paywalled articles.
