Marcus Sorensen Says He Left the NHL to Have Fun Again

Despite being just 29-years-old, the 2020-21 season may have been the last we have seen from Marcus Sorensen as an NHLer as he recently signed a four-year deal with an AAV of roughly $2 million with Djurgarden of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Though his lone goal and five points in 29 games with the Sharks last season wasn’t very impressive, Sorensen told media he had options in the NHL, KHL, SHL, and Switzerland. Ultimately, he chose to sign in his home country.

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“Because I wanted to have fun again, feel the joy of hockey and that the family can move home and have some security,” Sorensen explained.

Sorensen, who was drafted in the fourth round (106 overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, has played his entire 226 career NHL games in a Sharks uniform. His best season came in 2018-19 when he scored a career-high 17 goals and 30 points in 80 games. He has scored a total of 31 career goals and 64 points while suiting up for an additional 34 postseason games where he managed five goals and 12 points.

Whether Sorensen is being completely truthful here is unknown, but from the sounds of it, many players didn’t enjoy last season in San Jose. Not only did the team lose a lot of games, but there was reportedly tension in the locker room, centered mainly around controversial forward Evander Kane. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic said earlier this offseason that numerous players told general manager Doug Wilson they wanted Kane off the team, but as of this moment, he remains with them. It will be interesting to see if that changes ahead of the 2021-22 season.

The one positive for the Sharks organization and its fans is that the team still has plenty of talented names on its roster meaning a bounce-back season is possible. Of course, many of those said players are aging, but with their track records, it is impossible to count them out. Being in a Pacific Division that is supposed to be quite weak in 2021-22, they may have a shot at getting into the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

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