It turns out that defenseman Kevin Klein didn’t retire from hockey as much as he retired from the New York Rangers and the NHL.
Not long after walking away from a $2.75 million salary and $2.9 million cap hit, Klein turned around and apparently signed with the ZSC Lions in Zurich, Switzerland.
Klein is just 32, so it’s understandable if he isn’t quite ready to hang up his skates altogether.
Fun side note: the Lions were briefly Auston Matthews’ employers. Matthews scored 24 goals and 46 points in just 36 games for Zurich before becoming the top pick of the 2016 NHL Draft and generally lighting it up for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Here is Klein’s farewell note to Rangers fans:
A thank you letter from #NYR Kevin Klein on his retirement. pic.twitter.com/alpVJCgqby
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 7, 2017
Read more about his decision to step away from the NHL here.
(H/T to TSN.)