After paying his dues in Czechia for a long time, Jan Rutta finally earned an NHL opportunity. In 2017-18, Rutta made his NHL debut in his age-27 season with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

During his "rookie season", he played in 57 games for Chicago where he tallied six goals and 14 assists for 20 points. After that, he put together a respectable NHL career. 

Midway through the next season, 2018-19, Rutta was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. There, he won the Stanley Cup twice. He was a solid depth piece on a team loaded with talent on the back end. 

Rutta had one year with the Pittsburgh Penguins after leaving Tampa, followed by two years with the San Jose Sharks, coming into this off-season. 

Now, it sounds like Rutta, 35, will end his NHL career and take his talents to Europe. According to a report from Blick, a Swiss media outlet, Rutta will sign with Genève-Servette of Switzerland’s National League.

This Swiss pro team is loaded with former NHL players, so they will have a chance to win a league title in 2025-26 with Rutta joining the squad. 

If this comes to fruition, it will end a nice NHL career for the Czech defender with 23 goals, 75 assists, and 98 points in 417 games.

For some time, Rutta was impactful enough to be a part of championship-caliber teams in Tampa Bay, which he should be proud of. He will now play overseas to end his hockey-playing career on his terms. 

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