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The summer transfer market is in full swing in the Swiss National League, but the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers have chosen not to rush. Three weeks after the forced departure of Mike Sgarbossa, the St. Gallen club is still looking for the center who will complete their lineup, and the sports management stands firm on one requirement: find the right player, or sign no one. A rare stance in a league where import spots are precious and where every summer sees its share of hasty signings meant to reassure fans.
The profile sought is as precise as it is ambitious. Rapperswil wants a pivot capable of playing both ends of the ice, producing offensively at a sustained pace, and bringing a dose of leadership to a locker room that showed signs of nervousness last season. In other words, the unicorn that every team covets in the middle of summer. The rarity of the profile explains the displayed patience: the management knows that a bad choice could sink an entire season.
In other words, the unicorn that every team covets in the middle of summer.
The Sgarbossa saga
This position was initially supposed to go to Mike Sgarbossa. The 33-year-old Canadian, with solid North American experience between the NHL and AHL, had signed in April after the termination of his contract with Lugano. With 65 games in the big league with the Washington Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks, Sgarbossa brought a certain offensive pedigree. The Lakers had their man: an experienced left-handed center, ready to settle on the shores of Lake Zurich after a mixed stint in Bern where he had been loaned in January. His contract ran until 2027, and the club had built part of its project around him.
Three months later, on July 3, everything collapsed. The club announced that Sgarbossa was staying in Canada for family reasons and terminated his commitment by mutual agreement. "We wish him all the best for the future and we will quickly fill the sixth import spot," the management communicated then on the Lakers' official website. Quickly, the word was out. But quickly does not mean just anyhow. The same communication specified that the club was giving itself time to find the right profile, even if it meant waiting until the end of the market.
Six imports, one empty slot
The Lakers' foreign contingent is now complete on paper. Tanner Fritz, extended for an additional season on July 7, occupies the sixth and final import license allowed by the National League regulations. The 31-year-old Canadian is coming off a decent but not flashy season, and his extension is more of a safety net than a definitive solution. It is indeed on the market that Rapperswil intends to find the missing piece. Scouts are scanning the players still available, especially those who might be released by North American clubs as NHL training camps approach. The deadline of September 15, the day of the first game in Kloten, still leaves nearly two months of maneuvering room.
The bar of consistency
Behind this targeted quest lies the broader ambition of a club that refuses to stagnate. The Lakers reached the play-in last season, pushing CP Bern to the limit in a tight second round before yielding. An honorable performance, but insufficient in the eyes of an organization that aspires to establish itself permanently in the top eight of the National League. The roster includes twenty-one players under contract, including a solid Swiss core built around young players trained at the club and experienced leaders. But it is at center that everything is decided: without a reliable pivot in both directions, the collective balance remains precarious.
The management knows this and prefers to navigate by sight for a few more weeks rather than rush into a name that would not tick all the boxes. A risky approach, but a coherent one, in a league where casting errors cost dearly and where a wasted import spot can make the difference between the playoffs and an anonymous season.