Several reports are indicating that former NHLer Kirby Rychel has been has left Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) less than a month after signing a one-year contract with the club. While the team itself is stating that Rychel asked to leave the club for personal reasons, several reports say Rychel's contract was terminated after he showed up to training camp out of shape and did not perform well in pre-season games.
-
Rychel, 24 years old, is a former first round draft pick, selected 19th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013. Since being drafted, he has had a tough time finding a spot in the National Hockey League. He reportedly requested a trade out of Columbus in 2015 due to a lack of playing time in the NHL. Rychel and his father, who also serves as his agent, held a meeting with management during the Blue Jackets development camp, raising concerns over Rychel being "buried" on the team's depth chart. He would not be traded until the draft in 2016, when he was shipped to Toronto in exchange for defenseman Scott Harrington. After spending two more seasons in the AHL without any games played with the Leafs, Rychel was traded again. This time, he, Rinat Valiev and a 2018 second-round pick were sent to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for TomᨠPlekanec and Kyle Baun. Rychel would only play four games for Montreal, spending the rest of his time with the Laval Rocket of the AHL.
In August of 2018, Rychel was once again on the move, being traded to Calgary in exchange for Hunter Shinkaruk. His NHL playing time did not improve with Calgary. He played just two games with the Flames and was demoted to the minors for the rest of the season. In June of this year, after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Flames, Rychel made the one-year deal with Örebro HK.
-
