became an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, and the Vancouver Canucks expressed interest in signing him. He consulted with countryman Christian Ehrhoff, who had played defence with Vancouver for two years before signing with the Buffalo Sabres that summer. Ehrhoff recommended the team and Sturm signed to a one-year, $2.25 million deal on July 1, 2011. The Canucks had been Stanley Cup finalists the previous season and Sturm later explained he believed Vancouver was his "best chance" to win a championship. General manager Mike Gillis acknowledged the risk in signing Sturm, given his two knee surgeries in the past three years. Beginning the season on the second line, Sturm struggled with his new team. Less than a month into the season, on October 22, 2011, he was traded to the Florida Panthers, along with fellow veteran forward Mikael Samuelsson for forwards David Booth and Steven Reinprecht, as well as a third round pick in the 2013 draft. Sturm appeared in 49 games for Florida in 2011–12, including all 7 games of the Panthers' first-round playoff loss to the New Jersey Devils. Following the NHL lockout Sturm began the season as an unrestricted free agent before eventually signing with Kölner Haie in the Deutsche Eishockey League. The signing was officially announced by the team on February 3, 2013. He announced his retirement from the game of ice hockey on January 27, 2014. Coaching career Sturm was named head coach and general manager of the German national team on July 10, 2015. Under his guidance, Germany won the 2015 Deutschland-Cup title. Head coaching his first World Championship in 2016, Sturm led Team Germany to a quarterfinal appearance. In September 2016, Germany won the qualifying tournament for participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. At the 2017 IIHF World Championship, Sturm led the team to another quarter final, falling short to Canada (1-2). Sturm was credited with the progress of the German team, and for the willingness of the German NHL players to represent their country internationally. Under his leadership the German team reached the final at the 2018 Winter Olympics, earning the silver medal. On November 4, 2018, he was named assistant coach of the Los Angeles Kings following the firing of assistant coach Don Nachbaur and head coach John Stevens. Personal life Sturm and his wife Astrid have two children, son Mason Joseph, and daughter Kaydie. Career statistics Regular season and