Former Coyotes forward Paul Bissonnette is returning to the place he plied his trade during the 2012-13 NHL lockout. Bissonnette has signed on with the Cardiff Devils of the EIHL.
The Devils announced the signing today on their Twitter account:
We usually wouldn't announce something this big on Twitter, but it seems fitting… Welcome back to Cardiff @BizNasty2point0 – over to you..
— Cardiff Devils (@cardiffdevils) October 24, 2014
Devils Managing Director Todd Kelman explained the signing:
Paul got in touch with us and explained that he had already had offers from two other teams in the Elite League, but that if he was going to come back to this league he thought he would talk to us.
He went on to explain that the stay might be short term if Bissonnette has the chance to go back to the NHL.
He said that he loved his time in Cardiff and was excited about coming in even on a short term basis. It is important for our fans to understand that if Paul gets the opportunity to go back to the NHL, we will not stand in his way and he is coming here with all of us knowing full well that he could be here for a week, a month or all season. He could get an offer in the next few days before he even arrives for all we know, but we are taking a risk here because we want him back for however long we can have him.
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Bissonnette, 29, had previously been in training camp with the St. Louis Blues last month. In 202 career NHL games, the tough winger amassed 22 points and 340 penalty minutes. He should bring more than just toughness to Cardiff as he managed to put up 21 points in 11 games during his previous stint.
For more information, check out this Chasing The Dragons blog post: Lightning In A Bottle: Paul Bissonnette Returns, And Cardiff Toss A PR Thunderbolt.
(Featured Photo Credit: Cardiff Devils)
