One of the most inspirational players in sports is heading to California.
One day after being bought out by the Philadelphia Flyers, 2021 Masterton Trophy winner Oskar Lindblom has found a new home, agreeing to terms on a two-year contract with the San Jose Sharks worth an average annual value of $2.5 million.
Lindblom has one of the most miraculous stories in NHL history.
In 2019, the 25-year-old was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and underwent a grueling treatment process that kept him out of the sport entirely for what was expected to be a long time. And yet, in a miraculous turn of events, Lindblom was able to join the Flyers for the 2020 NHL Playoff Bubble a mere six months after his diagnosis and was officially declared cancer-free in March of 2021.
Stuck on a Flyers roster heading towards the bottom of the standings last season, Lindblom still put up respectable numbers, racking up 12 goals and 26 points in 79 games while logging just under 14 minutes in ice time. Lindblom started just 45.1 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone in 2021-22, showing an ability to handle defensive-focused assignments while not sacrificing too much on the offensive end of things.
At just $2.5 million for the next two years, he gives the Sharks a promising young asset with room left to grow who can help fill in their middle-six in the immediate future.
After overcoming the daunting odds just to live a normal life, it’s nice to see Lindblom be rewarded for his courage and success.
