Matej Blumel Signs In Czechia

Last summer, Matej Blumel’s free agent market was strong enough to secure him a one-year, one-way contract with Boston worth $875K.  However, things didn’t go as planned last season and now, the winger is heading overseas.  HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga recently announced that they’ve signed Blumel to a four-year contract.

The 26-year-old was a fourth-round pick by Edmonton back in 2019 but ultimately never signed with them.  Instead, he signed an entry-level deal with Dallas three years later.

Blumel spent three years in their system, playing in 13 NHL games where he had a pair of goals.  He was quite productive in the minors, however, tallying 178 points in 197 games over that stretch, including a 72-point effort in 2024-25, good for a tie for the second-most league-wide.  That performance landed him the one-way deal with Boston last summer, a rare outcome for a Group Six unrestricted free agent.

The hope was that Blumel would be able to step in and win a spot at the back of Boston’s lineup but that wasn’t the case.  He cleared waivers in training camp but was recalled six weeks later after a good start.  Unfortunately for him, Blumel suffered a lower-body injury in his fourth game, landing on LTIR soon after.  Once cleared to return in December, he was sent back to Providence for good.  He was held off the scoresheet in his four NHL outings but once again was productive in the minors, tallying 21 goals and 31 assists in 58 games in Providence.  He also picked up four points in seven games for the Czechs at the Worlds in May.

Blumel likely would have had strong interest on a two-way deal this summer, given how successful he has been at the AHL level.  However, rather than spending another season in the minors, he now returns home and will look to quickly land a top-line role there.  Given the length of the contract, it doesn’t appear he’ll be planning to return to play in North America, at least anytime soon.