Janis Moser, here celebrating a goal with Jake Guentzel, signs with the Tampa Bay Lightning until the summer of 2034.
Keystone
Janis Moser (25) from Bern extends his contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning over Christmas by eight years until 2034. Moser earns 6.75 million dollars per season. That could also pave the way to the home World Cup.
For comparison: Roman Josi, like Janis Moser also a defender, earns a good nine million per season as captain of the Nashville Predators.
Moser earned his contract for a total of 54 million dollars with consistent performances. The Seelander is definitely on the doorstep of the top defensemen in the best field hockey league in the world. He has played in 35 games so far this season, posting three goals and 12 points and has a plus/minus rating of +25. With a plus-25 rating, Moser currently ranks second among all NHL defensemen.
Path clear towards the World Championship
With the early contract extension, Moser is also pushing himself for the home World Championships in Zurich and Freiburg this spring. This is because NHL players with expired contracts usually forgo the World Championship because of the financial risk in the event of an injury.
When the NHL resumed play after Christmas, Janis Moser celebrated a 4-2 away win with Tampa Bay against the two-time champion Florida Panthers. Moser was on the ice for 22:28 minutes – about his average with Tampa Bay per game. Against the Panthers, Moser again recorded a plus rating (+1).
Devils lose again
Other Swiss players fared less well than Janis Moser: The New Jersey Devils with the Swiss trio (Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Jonas Siegenthaler) conceded their third loss in a row in their home game against the Washington Capitals with a 3:4 loss after overtime. At least the Devils secured a point and scored more than two goals for the first time in half a dozen games.
The winning streak of Roman Josi and the Nashville Predators came to an end with a 3:2 defeat at Pius Suter’s St. Louis Blues. Both teams are lagging behind the play-off places – as are the Winnipeg Jets with Nino Niederreiter, who also lost at home to Minnesota (3:4 n.V.). The Los Angeles Kings with Kevin Fiala won 6:1 against the Anaheim Ducks.