Jason Demers finally finds a new team after losing other job opportunity

Defenseman Jason Demers was surprisingly unsigned this pas summer and has remained a free agent since his contract with the Arizona Coyotes,

As he didn’t find an NHL team looking for his services, he managed to get a spot on the roster of Team Canada for the Spengler Cup. However, this all fell apart when Hockey Canada announced that they will no longer be participating in the tournament, and so Demers had to find another job to stay in shape.

That’s how he signed a contract with Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL, a deal for the rest of the season, one that will presumably still allow him to take part in the Olympics for Canada should the NHL officially pull the plug. The NHL and NHLPA are in the process are finalizing the decision with the International Olympic Committee.

The 33-year-old still has some left in the tank and took part in 699 regular season NHL games, but struggled mightily in 2020-21, recording just four in 41 games. He can be a reliable two-way defenseman, one that used to put up 20-30 points every single season.

Who knows, if he looks good in the KHL (and potentially on the Olympic roster) he could be signed an NHL deal before the March 21st trade deadline, though his contract would need to be bought out by Ak Bars Kazan.

At least for now, Demers gets back to playing hockey competitively, returning overseas where he played once before during the 2012-13 lockout, when he tallied 21 points in 30 games for Karpat in Finland.