Canadiens rookie Mattias Norlinder says he wants to return home to Sweden

In an interview with Fredrik Janelid of Göteborgs-Posten, Montreal Canadiens rookie defenceman Mattias Norlinder expressed his desire to return to Frolunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League. He added that he's felt this way for a while.

"In all honesty, I have been wanting go home for a while," Norlinder said.

Norlinder added that he thought he would have been assigned to the SHL following his injury in a pre-season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 27th.

"After my injury I thought I was going home, that was the way it sounded. Instead I got sent down to get a few games. At the same time it has been special for Montreal as it hasn't gone the way the club expected. Then, last week, I wanted to know the plan, but then they fired the GM and almost the whole staff," The Kramfors, Sweden native said.

Yesterday morning, the team assigned Norlinder to their AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket, with Canadiens Head Coach Dominique Ducharme stating that he will be down there for the next three games and then they'll go from there.

Because Norlinder was on an NHL roster on December 1st, he is eligible to play in the AHL for the remainder of the season, rather than being loaned to Sweden as per an agreement with the SHL.

For Norlinder's development, it would be better for him to return to Frolunda HC. In the SHL, his game will grow significantly, he'll play top pairing minutes, as well as on the first powerplay unit.

Frolunda HC currently sits in first place in the SHL standings with a record of 13-4-4-5 through twenty-six games. Getting a player of Norlinder's calibre will help their chances to win the SHL, as well as the Champions Hockey League, where they are up 5-2 against Leksands IF after the first leg of the quarter-finals.

Frolunda HC is also participating at the upcoming Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, a prestigious event that they'll definitely have a chance to win. Adding Norlinder to their roster for that would give their Spengler Cup title chances a massive boost.

In six games for the Canadiens this season, Norlinder has one assist, two penalty minutes, and is a plus-two.

Source: Expressen.se

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