 Mäkelä returned to the NHL following the 1994–95 NHL lockout, appearing in 11 games with the Boston Bruins during the shortened 1994–95 season.Mäkelä returned to Europe for the remainder of his career, playing two seasons in Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga before returning to Sweden and Finland for his final two seasons.Mäkelä appeared in 423 NHL games in his career, scoring 118 goals and adding 147 assists.