After spending the better part of the last decade overseas, veteran defenseman Simon Despres isn’t ready to hang up his skates just yet. According to a team announcement, Despres has agreed to a one-year contract with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets for the 2026-27 season.
Despres, 35, was originally selected with the 30th overall pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 NHL Draft. He spent a few more years with the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs before joining the professional ranks for the 2011-12 season.
Throughout his four-year tenure with the Penguins, Despres largely split his time between the NHL and the AHL. In 144 games with the Penguins, Despres scored five goals and 33 points with a +27 rating, averaging 15:54 of ice time per game.
After getting off to a good start in the 2014-15 season, Pittsburgh traded Despres to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Ben Lovejoy.
At the time, the Ducks believed that Despres would become a formidable part of their defensive corps for the foreseeable future. Shortly before the start of the 2015-16 season, Anaheim signed Despres to a five-year, $18.5MM extension.
Unfortunately, injuries took their toll on Despres relatively quickly, and the Ducks bought out the remaining three years of his contract after the 2016-17 season. Despres was only paid $5.3MM until the 2024-25 season instead of the $15.9MM he would have been owed until 2020-21, due to the buyout.
Outside of a brief comeback attempt with the Montreal Canadiens in the 2018-19 season, it’s been all overseas hockey for Despres. He’s jumped from country to country, playing in Slovakia, Germany, Sweden, Latvia, Switzerland, England, and Australia.