Without NHL interest, Preissing returned to Europe for the first time since 2005, signing a one-year contract with Kärpät of the Finnish SM-liiga on September 16, 2010. Under the agreement, Tom first joined Kazakh team, Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), to start the 2010–11 season on a two-month loan through to November in order to attain game conditioning. On September 17, Preissing made a successful debut with Astana scoring a goal in a 6–5 overtime loss to Salavat Yulaev Ufa. However, just two days later, in his second game in a 4–1 victory against Metallurg Novokuznetsk, Preissing's tenure in the KHL was cut short when he suffered a serious knee injury. Due to return to Kärpät in November, but with the prospects of being unable to play from the injury, Preissing came to a mutual agreement to terminate his contract on October 11, 2010.