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Leafs off-season breakdown - Left Wing

November 6, 2020, 5:40 PM ET [131 Comments]
Mike Augello
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With most of the offseason moves made by NHL clubs in the month of October, it is a good time to take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs and how they are situated at each position for the 2020-21 season. GM Kyle Dubas was extremely busy in free agency and shook up a number of areas of the Leafs roster, but we will have to wait until next January or February to see if those changes will result in more success.

The Leafs forward corps saw some necessary departures due to the club needing room under the salary cap to address the defense. On the left side, Toronto expectedly moved Andreas Johnsson and his $3.4 million salary to New Jersey in exchange for prospect Joey Anderson. In free agency, Dubas brought in KHL winger Alexander Barabanov on an entry-level deal during the pause and signed former Hobey Baker winner Jimmy Vesey to a one-year, $900,000 contract.

Barabanov played seven seasons for SKA St. Petersburg and for Russia internationally at the 2014 IIHF World Junior, the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, and three World Championships and is described as a small winger with tremendous playmaking ability. Vesey was pursued by the Leafs, Boston, and Buffalo in the summer of 2016 after four years at Harvard, but signed with the Rangers. After three seasons averaging 17 goals per season in New York, the 27-year-old winger was traded to the Sabres and struggled with just nine goals in 64 games.



Based on their usage in the qualifying round vs. Columbus, Zach Hyman and Ilya Mikheyev appear to be the wingers on the left side on the top two lines centered by Auston Matthews and John Tavares. William Nylander was at times used on his off wing, but it is likely that he will stay in his natural position on the right side. Vesey is likely to slot in with former Crimson linemate Alex Kerfoot, while Barabanov or rookie Nick Robertson could be in the mix in the bottom six.

Robertson, who led the OHL with 55 goals last season, will get an early start playing for Team USA at the 2021 World Junior in Edmonton, but if it is determined that he will not play on the top three lines, it is probable that he will return to Peterborough for another season if the OHL returns on schedule in February.

Barabanov is waiver exempt and can be sent down to the AHL, but has a European assignment clause in his contract that would allow him to return to the KHL. It is expected that if it is a choice between the 19-year-old prospect and the more experienced forward, Toronto would opt for Barabanov, but that determination will be made at training camp.

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