For what it’s worth, HockeySverige.se’s Robin Olausson has noted that former Red Wings forward Frans Nielsen spoke with Danish website DR.dk’s Sebastian Taarsted Bager this morning.
Nielsen is currently playing with the Danish Olympic ice hockey team as they attempt to qualify for the 2022 Olympics, and Nielsen states that “I’m going to find a new team, but it’s not that urgent right now. There are teams that are interested, but I do not have the full picture of who they are.”
Nielsen explains that there are teams in both North America and Europe who want him to play for them, and he does state that he’s intrigued by playing “closer to home” in Europe [i.e. for a European-based team], though he still wants to play in the NHL.
At present, Nielsen says that he’s focused on helping the Danes qualify for the Olympics, but after the Danish team plays in the IIHF’s qualifying round a little later this month, he’ll commence looking for another team to play on in earnest.
He does not say anything about being bought out by the Red Wings, which hasn’t been made official by the team as of yet, but the fact that Nielsen’s looking for work is evidence enough.