Sometimes a college free agent signing turns out well but very often, it doesn’t. When the Detroit Red Wings inked Ryan Kuffner out of Princeton University in 2019, it appeared as though they had added a talented offensive piece to the depth chart for little more than a contract slot and some bonus money.
After all, he had put up 152 points in four NCAA seasons, scoring at a 1.15 point-per-game rate. Kuffner quickly entered the Red Wings lineup, playing in ten games down the stretch. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to record a point in those games–a sign of what would come at the professional level. Kuffner struggled the next season in the AHL, recording just six goals and nine points in 32 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins, before ending up with the Edmonton Oilers organization as part of the Sam Gagner–Andreas Athanasiou deal.
The Oilers decided not to qualify him at the end of the year (the same decision they made with Athanasiou, leaving them completely empty-handed from that transaction), making him a free agent. After a year in Germany during the 2020-21 season, Kuffner played this year in the ECHL, putting up huge numbers for the Iowa Heartlanders. He’s parlayed that into another opportunity in Germany, this time with Augsburger of the DEL.
Now 26, any dream of returning to the NHL is likely over for Kuffner, who leaves North America with just 11 points in 41 AHL games. The ECHL meanwhile is losing a star, a player who was right near the top of the leaderboard with 1.56 points per game this season.
We are getting Rob Brown back in the deal, right?