Toronto Maple Leafs: Andreas Johnsson Betting on Himself

The Toronto Maple Leafs inked Andreas Johnsson to a one-year, two-way contract on Friday worth $787,500.

On paper, it appears the Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up a potentially vital cog in their roster—Andreas Johnsson.

Originating from Gävle, Sweden, Johnsson is the latest in a line of 12 NHLers who share that honour, highlighted most notably by Nicklas Backstrom and Jakob Silfverberg.

In 2017-18, the talented left winger produced at a point-per-game rate for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. Posting 54 points in 54 games is an impressive feat for a 23-year-old but doesn’t disregard the fact that Johnsson has just 3 career points in 9 NHL regular season games.

Although he lacks the necessary experience, forgoing a longer-term deal could still prove to be detrimental for Toronto.

The 2018 Calder Cup MVP accepted his qualifying offer at a lesser amount than anticipated despite being pegged as a mainstay top-9 winger next season.

At 23-years-old, it’s difficult to turn down guaranteed money and term on a contending team. Especially with just 15 NHL games, including playoffs, under one’s belt.

Clearly, none of this matters to Johnsson. Simply put, rather than agreeing to a multi-year deal with low AAV, Andreas Johnsson is betting on his own health and abilities.

Potential

Andreas Johnsson is expected to begin the season alongside Nazem Kadri on the third line. Third.

Although known as more of a goal scorer, Johnsson may develop into a well-rounded playmaker while skating with a goal-scoring machine. Plus, whoever skates on the right wing, presumably one of Kasperi Kapanen or Connor Brown.

Aside from having a dominant centre to play off of, what’s the best part about that? Third line matchups, of course.

The competition will be undoubtedly lighter than his counterparts in top-6 forward roles. Not only will it be problematic for opposing teams, but for Maple Leafs’ management, too.

If Johnsson goes out and records upwards of a 30+ point season, which he should not be far off of, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be forced to pay-up at seasons end. This is not ideal for the Kyle Dubas and company, who could still have to take care of pending contracts for Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Kasperi Kapanen, and Jake Gardiner, among several others.

Keep in mind that Johnsson is eligible for salary arbitration following one more professional season. He’s betting on himself to have a productive season.

Effective Drafting

In 2013, Andreas Johnsson was very much an afterthought in the minds of 29 other NHL franchises. Even Leafs Nation had a hard time getting excited for a 7th round, 202nd overall draft pick.

Since then, the talented Swede has transformed himself into a top-prospect and legitimate draft day-steal. Similar to opening the best present last.

The sky is certainly the limit for this yet-to-be-determined entity as he projects to be in a favourable position come October. Johnsson appears to be ahead of Josh Leivo and Tyler Ennis on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ LW depth chart, considering his performance as a call-up last season and into playoffs.

Next: The Trade Value of Every Leafs Player

Evidently, Johnsson has a step-up on the internal competition. Even if it is only July.

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