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The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team where there is opportunity for rapid advancement if you play defense, but their organization is quite deep on the wings, even with the departure of veterans James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov.
Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen look to be the leading candidates to take those spots with the Leafs, which will allow young prospects like Jeremy Bracco and Carl Grundstrom to play in offensive situations for the Toronto Marlies.
A glut of wingers is a nice problem to have, but it also can lead to players looking for other avenues to show what they can do.
2016 second round pick Yegor Korshkov was slated to come to North America after the KHL season concluded, but the 22-year-old may have recognized the current logjam and chose to re-sign for another year with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv.
The same situation may be occurring with 2015 third round pick Martins Dzierkals, who after playing most of last season in the ECHL signed a one-year deal with Dinamo Riga of the KHL.
The 21-year-old Latvian was selected 68th overall in 2015 and after two years playing for the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, signed an AHL contract. Dzierkals played only four games with the Toronto Marlies and spent most of last season with the Orlando Solar Bears, scoring 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 51 games.
Last month, Hockeybuzz KHL insider Aivis Kalnins, said that Dzierkals would opt to return home and play with Riga rather than play another season without an entry-level NHL contract with the Leafs ECHL affiliate (which has moved from Orlando to St. John’s).
In an interview with Kalnins on Tuesday, the 21-year-old indicated that he was not happy with his contractual situation and requested a trade, but that the Leafs still like him as a prospect and do not want to move him.
Once Toronto signs restricted free agent William Nylander to a new deal, they will have only two spots left under the 50 professional contract limit, which may be the reason that the club was unwilling to sign Dzierkals to an ELC.
As with Korshkov and 2017 draft pick Eemeli Rasanen, the Leafs still retain Dzierkals rights even though he has signed with a KHL club, but with those rights expiring in June 2019. Toronto’s window of opportunity is after the KHL season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, but unless the pathway for advancement changes over the next season, the young winger is likely going to be looking elsewhere.
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