He
was unceremoniously dumped by the Arizona Coyotes back in February
2024 but, according to reports out of Slovakia, Adam Ružička might
soon be back in the NHL.
Ružička, 26,
played in the KHL for Spartak Moscow
last season and, according to Šport.sk,
that
club is very interested in re-signing the Slovak forward.
“Negotiations are
still ongoing,” Spartak
senior advisor and former NHLer Valeri Kamensky
is quoted. “In the case of a player like Ružička, it’s a longer
process. However, I believe that he is waiting for a specific offer
from the NHL, as that
is his dream. That’s why everything is dragging on a bit.”
No specific NHL team is
mentioned.
Ružička had
40 points in 114 games for the Calgary Flames between 2021 and 2024.
In late January 2024, he was claimed on waivers by Arizona. However,
after just three games for the Coyotes, Ružička
was placed
on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract after he
posted a video on his Instagram account that
showed a
line of white powder and a credit card. The video was quickly
removed.
Last season, Ružička
had 45 points in 65 regular-season games for Spartak and 12 more
points in 12 playoff games. Spartak finished third in the KHL’s
Western Conference and was eliminated in the second round of the
playoffs.
At the time he signed
with Spartak, Ružička was quoted, “I’m glad that everything
turned out this way. I’m especially excited that I’ll be playing
alongside my sister’s husband, Michal Čajkovský.”
Interestingly,
Čajkovský, a defenseman who was a member of Slovakia’s 2022
bronze-medal-winning Olympic team, has recently left the team and
is also a free agent.
It’s worth considering
that Ružička’s attempt to move back to the NHL, or at least out
of the KHL, might be partly motivated by his wish to play in the
upcoming Winter Olympics. While Hockey Slovakia reversed its ban on
KHL players last summer, the issue has been controversial among
Slovak fans, media and players.
Last summer, brothers
Martin and Kristián
Pospišíl
were vocal about their hesitation to play alongside KHLers at the
Olympic qualifiers – eventually
choosing to do so. That team did
qualify for the Olympics but at the most recent IIHF World
Championship, the Slovaks were unable to convince any full-time
NHLers to play. That team, which did include two active KHLers,
failed to make the quarterfinals.
One
has to think that, if it comes down to a choice, KHL players might be
omitted from selection if it would pacify NHLers.
Ružička’s
only appearance for Slovakia’s senior men’s national team was in
qualifying for the 2022 Olympics. Previously, he played in three IIHF
World Junior Championships.
Photo © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.
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