Rather than see what a trip through unrestricted free agency in July would yield, defenseman Jacob Larsson has opted to head overseas. The Senators’ depth defender has signed a two-year contract with Rapperswil-Jona in Switzerland, per a team announcement.
The 27-year-old was a first-round pick by Anaheim back in 2015, going 25th overall but hasn’t been able to carve out a full-time NHL role just yet. He spent five years in their system, getting into 165 NHL games during that span. However, in 2022, the Ducks elected not to tender a $1.3MM qualifying offer with arbitration rights, making Larsson an unrestricted free agent.
Unable to secure a one-way deal on the open market, Larsson accepted a one-year, two-way deal with Ottawa that summer. While he got into seven games with the Sens, he spent the bulk of that year with AHL Belleville. This season, he only saw game action in the minors despite a pair of recalls in the first half of the season. With Belleville, Larsson played in 61 games, notching a career-best 33 points while adding five assists in seven playoff contests.
Considering the year he had in the minors, Larsson likely would have had strong interest on the open market from teams looking to make him a key defender in the AHL while being a serviceable recall if necessary. However, he instead will try his hand different where he’s likely to play a big role for the Lakers for the next two years. A good showing there could get him back on the NHL radar in 2026 if he decides to try his hand at playing in North America again.