Carl Soderberg. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Veteran NHL forward Carl Soderberg announces retirement

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Mike Gould | Last updated 8/3/23

Carl Soderberg, a towering center who appeared in 597 career NHL games over parts of nine seasons, officially announced his retirement on Thursday.

The 37-year-old forward last played in the NHL in the 2020–21 season, collecting seven goals and 17 points in 45 games split between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Colorado Avalanche. He added a goal and an assist in four games with the Avalanche in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Soderberg spent the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons playing with the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League, racking up 36 goals and 67 points in 104 contests.

Carl Soderberg has officially announced his retirement from the @NHL after 9 seasons.

Drafted 49th overall to the @StLouisBlues in 2004, Carl began his NHL career with the @NHLBruins in the 2012-13 season. Since then, he’s played in 597 regular-season games and scored 297 points… pic.twitter.com/HAK5gmNvN0
— NHL Alumni (@NHLAlumni) August 3, 2023

The St. Louis Blues originally selected Soderberg in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 2004 NHL Draft, but he never played with the team. The Blues traded Soderberg’s rights to the Boston Bruins in 2007 in exchange for goaltender Hannu Toivonen.

Soderberg finally made his NHL debut with the Bruins during the 2012–13 season and established himself as a regular player the following year, scoring 16 goals and 48 points in 73 games in 2013–14.

After parts of three seasons with the Bruins, Soderberg was traded to the Avalanche in exchange for a 2016 sixth-round pick. The six-foot-three center spent four full seasons in Colorado, ultimately setting career highs in every offensive category during his tenure with the club.

Facing salary cap constraints, the Avalanche traded Soderberg to the Arizona Coyotes in 2019 in exchange for defenseman Kevin Connauton and a 2020 third-round pick. Soderberg enjoyed another productive season in the desert, scoring 17 goals and 35 points in 70 games and helping the Coyotes qualify for the playoffs.

Through 597 career NHL games with the Bruins, Avalanche, Coyotes, and Blackhawks, Soderberg collected 110 goals and 297 points. He added three goals and 14 points in 45 career playoff contests.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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