Islanders Goaltender Leaving NHL To Sign With SHL Team
The New York Islanders pending unrestricted free agent signed a three-year contract with the SHL's Linkoping HC, per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News.
This marks Hogberg's third stint with the Swedish club where he made his professional debut during the 2012-13 season, and his second departure from North American hockey after a two-year run with the Islanders organization that produced a handful of memorable moments alongside significant time at the AHL level with Bridgeport.
👋 Varmt välkommen tillbaka till Linköping Hockey Club, Marcus Högberg!
— Linköping Hockey Club (@LHChockey) April 29, 2026
Den 31-åriga målvakten Marcus Högberg återvänder till Cluben och lägger dessutom till ytterligare ett år på sitt avtal. Avtalet sträcker sig därmed till 2029.
🔗 Läs mer här: https://t.co/ZShy8XfEbD pic.twitter.com/PmN2O0eC7y
Hogberg played 31 regular season games with the Bridgeport Islanders this past season, posting a 2.92 goals-against average and an .890 save percentage, and made one NHL appearance on January 7 when he stopped five of seven shots in 13:29 of ice time in a 7-2 loss to Utah.
The Story Behind His First Departure
Hogberg's first return to Linkoping from 2021 through 2024 was driven by circumstances far more personal than hockey.
After three seasons with the Ottawa Senators organization, where he peaked with a .917 save percentage and a 2.32 goals-against average across 39 AHL games in 2018-19 before getting an extended NHL look as Ottawa's backup, Hogberg's performance dipped in his final year with the organization.
He opened up about why in an interview with The Hockey News.
His father Peter had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, underwent surgery, and passed away not long after.
#Isles goaltender Marcus Hogberg has signed a three-year contract with Linköping HC in the SHL. He was a pending UFA.
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) April 29, 2026
"To lose my dad was really, really hard, and I was not myself," Hogberg said. "I didn't really talk about the feelings and how everything went. So I think that's maybe why I didn't play like myself my last year in Ottawa."
"We decided as a family to go back home, and I just tried to find myself again, not just on the ice but off the ice. I felt like being closer to my friends and my family and building myself up as a goalie again was the right decision. I'm really happy that we made that decision."
He returned to Linkoping in 2021 and spent three seasons rebuilding both his game and himself, posting a career-best 21 wins in 40 games in his final SHL season before the Islanders signed him to a two-year, $775,000 cap hit deal in the spring of 2024.
He carries his father's name on his helmet. "I'm happy that he's always with me," Hogberg said.
Hogberg has 105 NHL appearances across parts of five seasons with Ottawa and the Islanders, with a save percentage of .904.
The SHL deal takes him through age 34, effectively closing the book on his time as an NHL-level player and returning him permanently to the Swedish club where he started.
Photo Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images
