Former NHLers Who Are Standing Out In European Leagues During The 2026-27 Season

The KHL, SHL and Liiga are just a few of Europe's biggest hockey leagues that are hosting a ton of former NHL players. Which skaters have stood out the most early in the 2026-27 season?The NHL is a hard league to make it in. The talent gap between its players and those in any other league in the world is far larger than some fans realize. Many NHL players who couldn't cut it have moved to Europe in the past, managing to find success and dominate. Some have used that experience to eventually make their way back to North America, while others take on an entirely new competitive pursuit at the top of the best leagues overseas.Today, we're looking at former NHL players in Europe who are off to strong starts in the 2026-27 season.KHLThe most common league NHLers migrate to when they can't find a job in North America is the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Although it may not be as competitive as it once was, the KHL still features highly-touted Russian players and many former NHLers. Related storiesLeivo led the KHL in goals and points in 2024-25, winning MVP that season. He's off to another great start, recording six goals and 13 points in 17 games.Justin Bailey is another player thriving in his first season in Russia. The 31-year-old leads the KHL in goals with 12 and points with 21 in 19 games. Bailey played in parts of eight NHL seasons, scoring 10 goals and 23 points in 141 games. Alexander Radulov remains excellent as a KHLer. He had plenty of success with the Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars during his NHL career, and is still dominant as a 40-year-old in Russia with eight goals and 16 points in 17 games. Radulov has won the KHL's regular-season MVP four times, the Gagarin Cup three times, and led the KHL in scoring three times. Daniel Sprong is also off to a strong start in his second KHL season, posting eight goals and 10 points in 14 games. Sprong played parts of nine seasons in the NHL. SHLThe Swedish Hockey League (SHL) has become a far more than just a developmental circuit. Former NHLers — not just Swedish ones — are choosing to play in the SHL far more often than years past.Graeme Clarke is a great example. The New Jersey Devils originally drafted Clarke in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft. He went on to play just three NHL games but was a strong performer in the AHL during that same period. In his first season in Sweden, Clarke has notched five goals and 13 points in 14 games with Frolunda. Pavol Regenda fought hard to earn an NHL role with the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, but never truly broke through. He played in 24 NHL games last season with the Sharks, scoring nine goals and 10 points. In his first season in Sweden, he’s off to a strong start with three goals and 11 points in 11 games. Former Swedish NHLers like Oscar Lindberg, Par Lindholm, and Jakob Silfverberg all rank among the top-20 SHL scorers. LiigaLiiga, Finland's top league, has fewer former NHLers than the KHL and SHL, but is still very competitive.Former NHL defenseman Andrej Sustr is off to an impressive start. In 18 games, the 35-year-old has posted a league-high 16 assists. The 6-foot-7 defenseman previously played 362 NHL games, mostly with the Tampa Bay Lightning. His best season came in 2015-16 when he skated in 77 games, scoring four goals and 21 points. Iro Pakarinen didn't play in the NHL as long as Sustr did, but he did find his way into 134 NHL games, scoring 10 goals and 23 points. He last played in the NHL in 2017-18 with the Edmonton Oilers. After leaving the NHL for Europe, Pakarinen played one season in the KHL before returning to Finland. He's spent the last seven seasons in Finland, including five with HIFK. He’s currently on pace to set a career high, as he’s scored seven goals and 15 points in 16 games to start the season.National LeagueThe National League (NL) is home to more former NHL players than Liiga. With skaters like Roby Jarventie, Dennis Malgin, Sven Andrighetto, Jimmy Vesey, Jeff Skinner, and Filip Zadina, the Swiss top league features several skilled players.Jarventie leads the NL in scoring with 10 goals and 23 points in 16 games. Jarventie is still 24, and the Oilers still own his rights. He played just three NHL games last year despite posting a respectable 23 goals and 47 points in the AHL. Malgin is a highly-skilled winger who couldn't extend his NHL career because of his size. He is a quick skater with silky hands and great playmaking vision. In 16 games, he's found the back of the net five times and has put together 22 points. Malgin's European success is outstanding. He won the Champions Hockey League once and is a two-time NL winner. Andrighetto falls into a similar category as Malgin. Also quite undersized at just 5-foot-10, he's a skilled playmaker off to a four-goal, 18-point start this season. A teammate of Malgin, the two have become a feared duo in Switzerland. His resume is extensive, with wins including the Champions Hockey League (and MVP) and the Swiss league twice. Jeff Skinner is by far the most experienced player named in this article. Skinner skated in 1,110 NHL games, notching 379 goals and 717 points. It's his first season in Europe, as the 34-year-old could not find an NHL home this off-season. He's posted eiht goals and 13 points in 13 games.Czech ExtraligaMost former NHLers in the Czech Extraliga are Czech-born. The league is still quite competitive, even though it doesn’t feature many players from other countries. Notable former NHLers include David Kampf and Ondrej Kase. The two were solid bottom-six players primarily known for their times with the Toronto Maple Leafs before heading back home. Kase dealt with several head injuries throughout his NHL career, which cut it short and held him back from earning a larger role. Still, he's returned to Czechia and has been productive. In 15 games with Litvinov HC alongside Kampf, he's scored four goals and 15 points. Kampf played 576 NHL games over his nine-year career, but he struggled to find and maintain an NHL role last year. The Maple Leafs mutually terminated his contract; he signed with the Vancouver Canucks, was dealt to the Washington Capitals at the deadline, and was then moved again in the off-season to the Buffalo Sabres. The 31-year-old now leads his team in goals with six and has 11 points in 15 games.David Tomasek also returned to the Czech Extraliga this season after an unsuccessful one-year stint in the NHL with the Oilers. He currently sits second on the points leaderboard, behind only Roman Cervenka, who played one season with the Calgary Flames in 2012-13.Lukas Sedlak is a non-Czech player who played in the NHL and now plays in Czechia. He got off to a four-goal and nine-point start in 10 games before suffering an injury. Sedlak played 192 NHL games. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.