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Phoenix releases former top prospect Brule

brulegetty

James OBrien

We may have seen the last of 27-year-old Gilbert Brule. The Phoenix Coyotes have released him, according to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie.

Brule was taken with the sixth overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and has gone on to play in 299 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, and Phoenix Coyotes. However, he has struggled to stay in the NHL over the last few years and he recently refused to report to AHL Portland.

It was at that point that Brule surprised Coyotes GM Don Maloney by telling him that he wanted to end his hockey career.

Maloney initially suspended him and warned that he would terminate Brule’s contract “unless he has a change of heart very, very quickly.” That obviously didn’t happened.

If Brule does decide to keep his career going though, he might end up in Europe. He was reportedly close to signing with a KHL club before he inked a one-year, two-way deal with Phoenix for the 2013-14 campaign.

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