Joni Pitkanen's comeback bid has apparently been shelved.

The former NHL defenseman won't play again this season after suffering a foot injury in his third game with Oulun Karpat in Finland, according to Finnish reporter Pasi Tuominen.

"The foot simply did not cope," Pitkanen told Tuominen. "It's likely I will never play again."

Earlier this month, the 32-year-old blue-liner made his return to Karpat, where he spent the first three seasons of his career before being selected fourth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2002 draft.

Last week, while playing in only his second pro game since 2013, Pitkanen scored a goal and was named the first star in a 3-2 victory.

"Joni Pitkanen proved he's still a top-level player," Karpat sports chief Harri Aho told Tuominen on Thursday.

Pitkanen's NHL career ended abruptly in April 2013 when, as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes, he crashed into the boards in a race for the puck and suffered a gruesome heel injury.

The league adopted new hybrid icing rules for the 2013-14 season in response.

He played five seasons for the Hurricanes, one for the Edmonton Oilers, and spent four campaigns with the Flyers, notching 282 points in 535 NHL games.

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