After almost three full calendar years away from NHL action, former Vancouver Canucks flop Loui Eriksson has retired from playing hockey, his representation, CAA Hockey, announced Monday.
Eriksson, 39, last played professionally in the 2022-23 season, appearing in 34 games for Frolunda HC, scoring 11 goals, eight assists, and 19 points back home in Sweden in the SHL.
Loui Eriksson has officially retired from professional hockey at age 39, his agency @CAAHockey announced via IG
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) February 11, 2025
The 2003 2nd round pick (33rd overall) played in 1,050 NHL games across 16 seasons from 2006-22, with 613 points for #TexasHockey, #NHLBruins, #Canucks, and #Yotes pic.twitter.com/61RVkwnD71
A former second-round pick of the Dallas Stars, Eriksson was a highly productive player in his prime and became notorious in Vancouver for failing to live up to the big money he was making late in his career.
Eriksson scored 150 goals, 207 assists, and 357 points in 501 regular season games for Dallas and, after a few solid years in Boston, landed in Vancouver with the Canucks, signing a six-year, $36 million contract on the opening day of free agency on July 1, 2016. The results were not great.
In 252 regular season games with the Canucks, the Swedish winger managed only 38 goals, 52 assists, and 90 points and went without a point in 10 postseason contests in the 2020 pandemic bubble playoffs.
After playing in just seven games in the 2020-21 season, Eriksson, Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2023 seventh-round pick were traded to Arizona in exchange for Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland.
Garland is the last man standing from both clubs from this trade, though that first-round pick ended up becoming Dylan Guenther for Arizona, now located in Utah. That's a tough break for Vancouver, but this is the heritage of the Canucks.
Eriksson thanked all of his pro teams in his farewell message, including the Canucks, though he made sure to single out the Dallas Stars. Fitting, given that he played there the longest and enjoyed the most success with that organization.
Eriksson retires from hockey after 1050 NHL games, 613 NHL points, Bronze, Silver, and Gold World Championship medals, an SHL championship, and an SHL Rookie of the Year award.