He will be 28 by the season's start and the new Sabres forward is looking to improve on a breakout season. Leino has played in one full season (the other was 55 games split with Detroit and Philly) and put up 53 points and was one goal shy of 20.
He's proven that he will be a factor in postseason play. With already 37 games of playoff experience, Ville Leino has put up 28 points, a plus 11 rating and three game winning goals.
In the 2009-2010 playoffs, Leino had 21 points in 19 games.
The 6'1'' forward from Finland is locked in for six years in Buffalo, with a cap hit of $4.5M. How will his presence and contributions affect the team?
I see him being extremely effective with the Sabres, especially if he plays on the same line as Vanek. There's a reason I selected him for my fantasy team.
The signing is a bit of a risk, but I see it working out well for Buffalo. Leino plays with heart, which is what the Sabres haven't had much of since Briere and Drury left.
An interesting stat about Leino: When playing on home ice his +/- is -3. On the road it is +17. I'm excited to see how he will do this season. Only time will tell.