Mattias Norlinder: Swedish media opens the door to his return to Europe

A few years ago, Mattias Norlinder was seen as one of the Habs’ bright prospects on the blue line. The young defenseman showed great skills in Sweden, while also having great offensive skills on the ice.

It’s not for nothing that one local journalist saw him as the next Nicklas Lidström.

That said, the defenseman was never really able to adapt to North American hockey. He was homesick in his first year in America… and he never really found his feet in the AHL.

He made a name for himself at training camp last year (when nobody expected him to), but had a difficult season in Laval.

As a result, the Habs didn’t make him a qualifying offer, making him an uncompensated free agent this summer… and now, according to reports in Sweden, it’s not impossible that the defenseman will return to his homeland.

Johan Svensson of the Expressen media noted the possibility in his story of the day.

LaDue igår.
Ännu en back idag, enligt uppgifter till
Men utesluter, trots att man nu är åtta, plus Ville Jonsson i Oskarshamn, inte att Mattias Norlinder kan komma senare också. https://t.co/O3OwTWaQAp

– Johan Svensson (@MrMadhawk) July 17, 2024

In fact, according to Svensson, MoDo Hockey, a team with which Norlinder has already played, would like to bring him back into its uniform.

Norlinder played with MoDo before joining Frölunda HC, a team that was to help ease his transition to America.

The official account of the SHL, the league in which MoDo plays, mentioned the possibility of Norlinder coming to town via its X account.

It’s a bit like the NHL’s account mentioning that Ivan Demidov could be joining the Habs by the start of the season, or something.

Backsidan växer snabbt i @MoDo_Hockey nu:
Paul LaDue
Ludwig Byström

… kommer Mattias Norlinder också, eller vad tror ni? #SHL #ishockey #twittpuck pic.twitter.com/GVb2WH2lEN

– SHL.se (@SHLse) July 17, 2024

There, Norlinder would be brought in to play a role on the team’s first pair, and we see him as a potential big catch for a team trying to solidify its blue line for the upcoming season.

And since I can’t really see any other NHL team giving Norlinder a chance, it seems like a logical avenue for the 24-year-old defenseman, doesn’t it?