Yahoo Sports Ex-Red Wings Forward Joins New Team
Good things come to those who wait.
For Detroit Red Wings fans, several years of poor play have resulted in many first-round draft picks who are already major contributors to the team. Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and Simon Edvinsson are prime examples.
Sometimes, however, that waiting can take on the form of joining a winning organization. This is what a former Red Wings forward is experiencing this season.
Richard Panik has officially joined Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL in Russia.
From @hcslovanba to Loko.
33-year-old F Richard Panik 🇸🇰 joins KHL-leading Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. pic.twitter.com/WzCcPdnrHU— KHL (@khl_eng) December 16, 2024
Panik will join the top team in the KHL for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. He has played for HC Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia. In 18 games with the club, he recorded 13 points, six of which were goals.
The 33-year-old forward played for the Red Wings in the 2020-21 season. Panik was part of the package the team received for sending Anthony Mantha to the Washington Capitals. The other parts of the package were Jakub Vrana, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-round pick.
He played 12 games and produced four points while playing 14:39 a night. After the season, he was traded to the New York Islanders for Nick Leddy.
Panik has a good setup for the rest of the season. Joining the number-one team, Lokomotiv will hopefully boost his confidence. Lokomotiv currently has a record of 28-6-2 and 58 points. They are first in the Western Conference and first overall.
After not winning the Stanley Cup in the NHL, perhaps hitching his horse to the top KHL team will help him win a trophy after all.
He's certainly waited a long time for it.
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