Leafs GM Kyle Dubas indicated that after the signing of John Tavares, that there were veteran players on the free agent market who were seeking long term deals that were willing to come to Toronto on the short term, likely because they would be able to get noticed and put up good numbers.
The first example of that in the Tavares era occurred on Friday, as the Maple Leafs signed forward Tyler Ennis to a one-year deal, worth $650,000. Ennis, 28, played the first seven seasons of his NHL career with the Buffalo Sabres until he was traded along with Marcus Foligno to the Minnesota Wild last June for Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella.
After scoring 22 points with the Wild, the Edmonton, Alberta native was bought out of the final year of his five-year, $23 Million contract.
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Ennis was a top six forward early in his tenure with the Sabres (scoring 20 goals three times in 2011, 2014 and 2015), but injuries took their toll on the 5’9” 161 lb forward , who missed 80 games in his final two seasons in Buffalo.
Ennis has played mostly wing in his career and his signing for one-year is a low risk, potential high reward move, as he will likely a fit in a fourth line role but is capable of moving up in the lineup if necessary.
What is curious is what this means for the Leafs going forward. The signing could simply be insurance and depth in case the club wants youngsters like Carl Grundstrom to begin next season playing with the Toronto Marlies, but it could also mean that Dubas may be preparing to move another winger like Josh Leivo or Kasperi Kapanen in a deal to upgrade their blueline.
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