Markus Nutivaara
Markus Nutivaara is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman, playing for Oulun Kärpät of the Liiga. Nutivaara was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 7th round of the NHL Entry Draft. He has previously played for the Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers in the NHL.
Playing career
Nutivaara made his debut in Finland's top-division, Liiga, playing with Oulun Kärpät during the 2014–15 Liiga season. He helped win the 2015 Liiga title, making 35 appearances in regular season and 16 in post-season play. He also gained international experience competing in the Champions Hockey League with Kärpät, advancing to the semi-finals.In 2015–16, Nutivaara saw the ice in 50 games during the Liiga regular season, chipping in with six goals, while dishing out 16 assists. He also played in seven playoff contests, recording one goal as well as four assists. In Champions Hockey League play, Nutivaara had 13 appearances, scoring four goals and assisting on five more on the way to the championship game, where Kärpät fell short to Swedish Frölunda HC.
He put pen to paper on a two-year entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League in May 2016. During the 2016–17 season, he scored his first NHL goal on 12 November 2016, against the St. Louis Blues to help clinch an 8–4 victory.
On 30 March 2018, Nutivaara was signed to a four-year, $10.8 million contract extension to remain with the Blue Jackets.
On 8 October 2020, Nutivaara ended his tenure with the Blue Jackets after four seasons when he was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Cliff Pu.
After he was limited to just 1 game during season due to injury, Nutivaara left the Panthers as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the San Jose Sharks on 13 July 2022. Despite this, Nutivaara was unable to appear in any games with the Sharks due to a hip injury, and subsequently retired following the 2022–23 season.
Prior to the 2025–26 season, Nutivaara announced that he would try to make a comeback as a professional player, and on 29 July 2025 Oulun Kärpät announced that Nutivaara had signed a one-year deal with the club.