One of the more underrated NHL forwards throughout his time in the league has announced his retirement. The news today reports that Bryan Little will sign a one-day contract with the Winnipeg Jets to official enter his retirement from the league and as a member of the organization. Litts will be honoured at a home game on Sunday, October 20th as the Jets host the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Bryan Little Announces Retirement from NHL
Bryan Little spent his entire 13-year NHL playing career as a member of the Winnipeg Jets, and previous to that, Atlanta Thrashers organization. He was always a tremendous secondary scorer, occasionally seeing top-line opportunity. In 843 games, he ended up with 521 career regular season points. He was a five-time 20-goal scorer, with a career-high of 31 in his sophomore campaign in 2008-09 with Atlanta. His career-high in points was 64 which came in 2013-14, after the club had moved to Manitoba. That was in the midst of a five-year span where he was never below 19:36 in average ice time. He never seen a lot of playoff action. However, he was apart of the Jets team that made the Western Conference Final in 2018.
Wish the Forward the Best in his Retirement
Unfortunately for Little, he had his career cut short after only playing seven games in the 2019-20 season. Little had still been getting paid nearly $5.3 million annually by the Arizona Coyotes up until the end of last season. The Jets had traded him to Arizona in 2022 and kept him on long-term injury reserve and were able to utilize his salary for cap relief.
Little had been relatively healthy through his NHL career to that point. However, in his final game, he sustained a punctured eardrum and concussion after taking a puck to the head. Moreover, he had been trying to rehab since, but was never able to suit up again. This announcement of his retirement will help us remember the excellent player Bryan Little was and to wish him all best in his future.
Main Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports
