2x Stanley Cup champion heads to Genève-Servette in Switzerland after tough NHL season

Jan Rutta is moving to Switzerland after a tough season. He played for the San Jose Sharks, who finished at the bottom of the standings for the second straight year. Rutta was signed to a three-year deal by the Pittsburgh Penguins, but was traded to Sharks in the 2022-23 campaign. His contract ended last season and remains unsigned by an NHL team.

The defenseman will reportedly to play for Geneve-Servette, and Swiss reporter Gregory Beaud said the deal was for next season.

"Genève-Servette is about to conclude its foreign recruitment campaign less than a month before the start of the season," Beaud wrote, via Blick.ch. "According to our information, the Vernets club will reach an agreement with Czech rearguard Jan Rutta for the upcoming season."

No details about the contract length are known, but Rutta is returning to Europe after eight years in the NHL.

Rutta played 54 games for San Jose last year, recording three goals and six assists in over 17 minutes per game. He played on the penalty kill and in defensive situations. A lower body injury sidelined him for almost two months, hurting his impact on his third-pairing role.

"Just keep working," Rutta said about Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky in December, via Ted Ramey. "Even though we have a lot of young skill on the team, we still have to play hard and work hard. He’s been really diligent about that. We need to remain a hardworking team."

Rutta started his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2017, and also played for Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and San Jose. In 417 games, he recorded 23 goals and 75 assists, adding 11 points in 49 playoff games. Rutta also won two Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay.

Jan Rutta's "painful" comment about Sharks' performance last NHL season

With his experience, Jann Rutta was a veteran for the young Sharks team. In his December interview, he admitted that the team was going through growing pains, but mentioned that they will improve with more experience.

"I don’t think that’s the problem with the young guys these days. They’re pretty confident," Rutta said, via Ted Ramey. "For me, it’s more about being smarter in our game. There are some growing pains, but I think we’re going to get better. Right now it’s a little painful."

Geneve-Servette signed other NHL players this summer like Jesse Puljujarvi and Jimmy Vesey. The team won the Swiss championship in 2023-24.