After coming back to the NHL in 2022-23 following a two-year stint in Russia, a defenceman with the Buffalo Sabres has decided to leave North America once again. According to HC Lausanne of the Swiss National League, Lawrence Pilut has signed a two-year deal with the team. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent in July.
Pilut was never drafted into the NHL. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with Buffalo as a free agent in 2018 following a breakout season with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He would spend most of the two years in the AHL, although he did manage 33 NHL games in 2018-19. After that contract ran out, he played two seasons for Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL, but returned to Buffalo on a one-year, two-way deal for 2022-23. He played another 17 games for the Sabres, brining his total NHL games to 63, with two goals and seven assists.