Lucas Wallmark released from overseas contract

NHL veteran Lucas Wallmark was released from his contract with the NL’s ZSC Lions today upon request, the team said in a release announcing multiple roster updates. The move clears the way for Wallmark, 27, to re-join an NHL club in free agency this offseason if he so chooses.

Wallmark was under contract with the Lions through 2025, departing the club after the first season of a three-year agreement. The 2014 fourth-round selection of the Carolina Hurricanes had 37 points in 50 games and led the team with a +22 rating.

He’d spent the past two seasons overseas after five years in the NHL with the Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, and Florida Panthers. Wallmark was an effective defensive presence in the bottom six during his time in the NHL and could still easily crack most rosters in the league today.

Wallmark represented Sweden at the delayed 2020 Winter Olympics, recording five goals in six games. He had a career-high 10 goals and 28 points in 81 games with Carolina in 2018-19, helping them advance to the Eastern Conference Final.

Of note, the Lions also announced in their release that 26-year-old Ludovic Waeber will be signing an NHL contract next season, although it’s unclear with which team. Waeber has some limited experience with the Swiss national team and had been their starter between 2020 and 2022. However, he slipped to a backup role this season behind Czech netminder Šimon Hrubec, posting a .914 save percentage and an 8-9-1 record in 19 games.