Matt Read Headed Back to Sodertalje SK


Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Just a little more than two weeks after leaving, Philadelphia Flyers forward Matt Read plans on returning to Sweden. However, it won’t be until his ailing back is fully healed. His team, Sodertalje SK, released a statement on their website today:

Matt Read is after a period of discomfort undergone treatment after an injury in the back. After treatment, he will now undergo rehabilitation, which means that Read connecting to SSK in mid-January on lock-out is in the NHL continues, or NHL season is canceled.

It is currently unknown how Read injured his back, however, his injury does not seem to be too serious. The fact that Read is poised to return overseas is just another bad sign in the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. When the 25 year old returned to the United States on December 5th after playing 20 games in Sweden, the negotiations seemed to be going well. However, talks stalled when the sides failed to come to an agreement on several main points, one being contract length, and talks have broken off. It’s likely that if an agreement was close, Read would stay in the States and prepare for an upcoming NHL season.

However, his current plans are to head back over to Sweden, and Sodertalje could certainly use his offensive prowess. Read contributed 6 goals and 18 assists in his short stay with the team, and will certainly be a contributing factor during the remainder of the Swedish season. Sodertalje finds themselves in fourth place, and 9 points out of first place.

Jake Pavorsky is a contributor for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JakePavorsky. 


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