Kevin Shattenkirk is leaving for Finland to join TPS Turku of the SM-liiga, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Jeremy Rutherford. He’s just the latest locked-out NHLer to take refuge in Europe in the months since this lockout began.
Shattenkirk excelled in his rookie season with nine goals and 43 points in 72 games and was part of a high-profile and controversial trade that sent him from the Colorado Avalanche to the St. Louis Blues.
In St. Louis, he’s teamed up with Alex Pietrangelo to give the franchise an effective one-two punch of young offensive defensemen. For his part, Shattenkirk avoided the dreaded sophomore slump and matched his rookie total with another 43 points in 2011-12.
Before the lockout, Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo were getting ready to enter the final season of their respective entry-level contracts. They are both scheduled to become restricted free agents this summer.
