Rangers defenseman Nick Ebert decided to take another shot at playing in North America this season and signed with Ottawa with the hopes of getting an NHL opportunity. However, he was moved to New York in an early-season trade as part of the Vladislav Namestnikov deal and spent the entire year in the minors. It appears that teams overseas are showing interest in signing him for next season as Ebert told HockeyPuls in Sweden (subscription required) that four or five SHL teams, as well as some KHL teams, have been in touch already about signing for next season.
The report notes that among the SHL teams that are interested, Ebert’s former team in Orebro doesn’t appear to be one of them. It was his performance with them back in 2018-19 that got him back on the North American radar as he picked up 33 points in 49 games which was good enough for fourth league-wide in points by a defenseman.
However, that production failed to materialize in his second go-around in North America as he had just five goals and 11 assists in 47 AHL contests this season, all but one of which came with AHL Hartford.
While it’s possible that Ebert could be asked to be part of New York’s reserve squad for the potential 24-team return which could start in July, they may opt not to recall him which would make it a little easier for him to catch on elsewhere. The 26-year-old isn’t officially eligible for UFA status yet but with his age and AHL experience, he does qualify to hit the open market as a Group VI free agent so the Rangers will not be able to retain his NHL rights if he does cross the pond once again.