After 4 seasons with Penguins, defenseman Juuso Riikola signs in Sweden

The Juuso Riikola era has come to an end in Pittsburgh.

On Wednesday, the veteran defenseman signed a one-year contract with IK Oskarshamn of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). His contract was announced by the team.

A native of Finland, Riikola spent the past four seasons as a member of the Penguins after initially signing as an undrafted free agent in May of 2018.

Riikola, 28, showed some intrigue as a rookie during the 2018-19 season, appearing in 37 games and scoring five points (two goals, three assists).

A left-handed shot, Riikola was pressed into duties as a fourth-line left winger during the early stages of the 2019-20 campaign when he played in 36 games and recorded a career-best seven points (one goal, six assists).

After former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford curiously signed Riikola to a two-year contract extension with a salary cap hit of $1.15 million during the 2020 offseason, Riikola rarely played in the NHL over the duration of that deal.

After injuries limited him to two games and no points during the 2020-21 campaign, Riikola’s cap hit and ineffective play led to him playing in only five games while recording only one assist during the 2021-22 season.

Riikola spent most of last season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) and was that team’s third-leading scorer with 35 points (one goal, 34 assists) in 53 games.

In 80 career NHL games, Riikola had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists).

With regards to his NHL rights, Riikola was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent July 13.

Riikola’s departure leaves the Penguins with 11 players who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this offseason:

Forwards — Anthony Angello, Brian Boyle, Michael Chaput, Evgeni Malkin, Rickard Rakell, Evan Rodrigues

Defensemen — Nathan Beaulieu, Taylor Fedun, Kris Letang

Goaltenders — Casey DeSmith, Louis Domingue

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