Paul 'BizNasty' Bissonnette signs with EIHL's Cardiff Devils
After spending the last five seasons with the Phoenix Coyotes, Paul Bissonnette wasn't re-signed by the Arizona Coyotes, making the 29-year old tough guy an unrestricted free agent. His summer was then spent with some uncertainty about his future, but it appears that he’s found a new home back across the pond.
The EIHL’s Cardiff Devils announced on Friday that they’ve signed Bissonnette, reuniting the enforcer with the team he played 11 games with during the 2012 NHL lockout. Playing for the Welsh side helped Biz discovered his offensive skills as posted 6 goals and 21 points during his time there.
According to the Devils, it's a deal where if an NHL side comes calling for Bissonnette, he's free to go. In the meantime, they hope he'll be in the lineup come Nov. 2 when Cardiff faces off with the Nottingham Panthers.
...deal we will let him go.. He could be here two weeks, a month, all season but we took the risk because we wanted him back
— Cardiff Devils (@cardiffdevils) October 24, 2014
From the Devils:
“Paul got in touch with us and explained that he had already had offers fromtwo other teams in the Elite League, but that if he was going to come back tothis league he thought he would talk to us,” explained the Devils Managing Director Todd Kelman.
“He said that he loved his time in Cardiff and was excited about coming ineven on a short term basis.
There was some talk over the summer of the Washington Capitals having an interest in Bissonnette, but nothing ever materialized. He ended going to training camp on an invite from the St. Louis Blues, but they wound up releasing him days before the regular season began.
Bissonnette became a fan favorite in Cardiff for his big personality and apparent scoring abilities, not face-punching, which was his calling card in the NHL. In those 11 games in 2012, Biz only accumulated eight penalty minutes with the Devils.
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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy
