|
Leafs summer plan may be to go for big move, Leafs Convo discusses |
|
|
|
|
|
For the latest Leafs updates or on Twitter
Kyle Dubas made his first roster moves as Toronto Maple Leafs GM on Thursday, signing prospects Pierre Engvall, Jesper Lindgren and free agents Igor Ozhiganov and Par Lindholm to entry-level deals, but unlike last summer when signings such as these made most of the off-season news, it is expected that Dubas will be less conservative than Lou Lamoriello and more looking to address areas where the Leafs are in need of significant upgrade.
The 21-year-old Engvall and 20-year-old Lindgren will need some develop time in the American Hockey League before it is possible for them to have an impact in the NHL.
Engvall scored nearly a point-per-game with the Toronto Marlies after joining them in late March and has the skill and speed to eventually make the jump, but the 2014 188th overall pick will need to get stronger to take advantage of his 6’3”, 200 lb frame.
Lindgren (a 2015 fourth round pick) is considered a project and while talented needs time to develop in the Leafs pipeline and to make the transition to North America.
Ozhiganov and Lindholm are expected to challenge for spots on the Leafs roster at training camp, but are not thought to be more than depth options, as European free agent signings Miro Aaltonen, Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen were last summer.
The hope is always to hit a homerun, but the 25-year-old Ozhiganov had two goals and seven assists in 42 games for CSKA Moscow last season and is not expected to be more than a bottom pairing candidate and a potential replacement if Dubas chooses to not re-sign veteran Roman Polak or not qualify Connor Carrick.
Lindholm is versatile and can play at both ends of the ice, but there is no guarantee he is any more ready to fill the Leafs fourth line center position than Aaltonen (who scored 20 goals for the Marlies this season) or Frederik Gauthier.
Many hockey insiders believe that Dubas will not be shy about putting his stamp on the Leafs organization this summer, which could manifest itself by promoting young players on their entry-level deals who play on the Marlies to the NHL.
That would allow more cap room for a big salaried addition in a trade for a top-four defenseman or using Toronto’s financial wherewithal and knowledge of the salary cap to add a big-ticket free agent.
******
The Toronto Marlies will begin their best-of-seven Calder Cup Eastern Conference Final against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 4pm Saturday at Ricoh Coliseum. For those Leafs fans living outside the Toronto area who do not have Leafs Nation Network, the club announced on Friday that all games will be televised on TSN2 and broadcast on TSN 1050.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»