(Smiley N. Pool/Dallas Morning News)
Michael Raffl was one two NHL players from Austria during the 2021-22 season. Marco Rossie of the Minnesota Wild was the only other Austrian player that played that season and he recorded no points in 2 games that season.
The Dallas Stars signed Raffl on a one-year, $1.1 million deal in July 2021 at 32 years old. For Raffl, the Stars would be his third team he’d be a member of.
Prior to joining Dallas, Raffl went undrafted and began playing in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2013-14 season where he spend eight seasons wearing the orange and black. In his rookie season, Raffl recorded 22 points (9G, 13A) in 68 games which was the 11th most on the Flyers.
(Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
In the 2014 Playoffs, the Flyers were eliminated in the first round in seven games by the New York Rangers. Raffl recorded just one assist in the series loss while playing in every game.
The following two seasons, Raffl set career-highs. In the 2014-15 season, Raffl set a career-high 21 goals. Raffl’s 21 goals were the fourth most on the Flyers roster.
In the 2015-16 season, Raffl set a career-high in assists with 18 and points with 31. Raffl’s 31 points were the seventh most on the Flyers roster. The Flyers were eliminated in the first round of the 2016 Playoffs in six games by the Washington Capitals. Raffl’s opening goal in Game 3 would be the only point he would record in the series.
The Flyers were eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018 first round in six games. Raffl recorded just one assist in the series.
In the 2020 Playoffs, the Flyers were eliminated in the second round by the New York Islanders in seven games after trailing 3-1 in the series. Raffl was injured in the Round-robin against the Bruins. Raffl played in 9 of the Flyers’ 16 Playoff games in 2020 and recorded 5 points (4G, 1A).
With the Flyers out of the Playoff race in the 56-game 2020-21 season in April, Raffl was traded to the Capitals in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick. Raffl finished the 2020-21 season with 11 points (4G, 7A) in 44 games. Raffl and the Capitals would be eliminated by the Boston Bruins in five games. Raffl recorded no points in the series.
After the 2021 Playoffs, Raffl joined the Stars. In the 2020-21 season, the Stars missed the Playoffs after making the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020. In those 56 games, the Stars had 14 OTL’s.
In the 2021-22 season, Raffl recorded 16 points (7G, 9A) in 76 games played. Raffl’s -19 rating was the fifth lowest on the Stars roster. In his third game with the Stars, Raffl scored his first goal against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 17, 2021. Raffl scored in the next game two nights later against the Penguins.
Raffl recorded his only two-goal game as a Star against the Buffalo Sabres on Feb. 27, 2022.
The Stars and Raffl did make it back to the Playoffs in 2022, but were eliminated by the Calgary Flames after Johnny Gaudreau’s overtime winner in Game 7.
In the 2022 Playoffs, Raffl recorded 3 points (2G, 1A) while playing in every game. Trailing 3-2 in the series, Raffl recorded one goal and an assist in Game 6 in Dallas to force a Game 7.
Following the 2022 Playoffs, Raffl never re-signed with the Stars. Raffl signed a two-year deal with the Lausanne HC in Lausanne, Switzerland, which competes in the National League (NL). Raffl finished with 179 points (89G, 90A) in 590 games in his 9-year NHL career.
In two seasons in Switzerland, Raffl recorded 26 points (14G, 12A) in 39 games.
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