Nearly eight months after he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for fellow struggling forward Ryan Strome, Ryan Spooner is out of the NHL.
The 27-year-old has signed with HC Lugano in Switzerland’s National League for the 2019-20 season, the club announced Wednesday.
The one-for-one, change-of-scenery swap with the New York Rangers last November failed to pay dividends for the Oilers. Spooner collected just three points during his stint in Edmonton, which featured a demotion to the AHL, before he was shipped off to the Vancouver Canucks for Sam Gagner.
The playmaking centre picked up four assists in 11 games with the Canucks before being placed on waivers for the purpose of a buyout last month. Spooner was signed to a two-year, $8-million contract with the Rangers as a restricted free agent last summer.
Strome, meanwhile, appeared to resuscitate his career during his time on Broadway, putting up 33 points in 63 games after the trade.
The deal by former GM Peter Chiarelli carries some extra sting for Oilers fans as Strome was initially acquired by the club in a 2017 exchange for Jordan Eberle, who has recorded 44 goals and 96 points in two seasons with the New York Islanders.
Spooner, who was selected in the second round of the 2010 draft, twice reached 40 points in his career (49 in 80 games during the 2015-16 season and 41 in 59 in 2017-18). He totalled 167 points across 325 NHL games.
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