2 underrated Maple Leafs signings could pay off next season

The Toronto Maple Leafs have recently done what basically looks like a complete makeover to the roster, which to this point, seems to make the team now stronger and address some of it's main issues.

General manager John Chayka has made a series of moves and recently signed two players who, as of right now, are both severely underrated heading into this upcoming season. Those players are Ryan Tverberg and Samuel Hlavaj.

Leafs fans are aware of Tverberg, as the 24-year-old forward was one of the key parts in the Calder Cup title win for the Toronto Marlies this year. In 24 AHL playoff games, Tverberg scored six goals and dished out eight assists for 14 points.

While his playoff performance was obviously and respectively overshadowed by the likes of Easton Cowan, Artur Akhtyamov and even Vinni Lettieri, Tverberg was an under-the-radar piece for the Marlies who complemented the top guys on the team.

Tverberg's contract is a one-year, two-way deal worth $850 thousand and provides the chance for him to get some NHL reps, as well as help the Marlies defend their championship. While a spot on the opening night roster is less than guaranteed, his AHL playoff performance would help fuel what could be a monstrous season ahead for Tverberg.

For Hlavaj, many might remember him for dominating in net at the World stage for Slovakia in the past. In the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in Czechia, the 25-year-old goalkeeper was one of the best in the blue paint with a .925 save percentage, good enough for third best in the tournament.

In the tournament before, the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, Hlavaj sported a .932 save percentage, which was good enough for top-five among goalies. At the time, he was one of the most dominant young netminders in the world.

Hlavaj spent last season mainly in the AHL with the Iowa Wild, the Minnesota Wild's affiliate. In 22 games, he had a 7-11-5 record with a 3.28 goals against average and a .887 save percentage. This recent decline might raise some questions with the one-year, $850 thousand contract he just signed, but given his track record, a bounce-back season would wash it away.

It also might be fulfilling that Hlavaj will team up with AHL playoff MVP Artur Akhtyamov in net for the Marlies this year, which could very well bring him back to the top form he was in with the Slovakian national team.

Both Tverberg and Hlavaj will still have to prove themselves

Despite the fact that Tverberg and Hlavaj are both solid and exciting young players to watch, they will still need to prove why the Leafs should keep them in the books. Tverberg will have the chance and has to build off of his Calder Cup playoff performance to find his way into the Leafs' lineup. While it might be more difficult to do that with the recent depth pieces Chayka has added, Tverberg is surely near the top of the "next one up" list.

This, for Hlavaj, will be a rebound opportunity and another promising goaltending piece to what has recently been strong netminding depth for the club. He is still young and only a year older than Akhtyamov, which puts the Leafs in a good spot for the position in the future while Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz play out the back-end of their respective careers. All the moves so far have their own significance, but the contracts of both Tverberg and Hlavaj, given what they can provide, make the Leafs' depth stronger and better built for the future than ever before.

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