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Toronto Maple Leafs Should Sign KHL All-Star Defenseman Mikko Lehtonen

ByStephen Nixon|
KOSICE, SLOVAKIA - MAY 17: Finlands Mikko Lehtonen calls for the puck during the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia group A game between Finland and Great Britain at Steel Arena on May 17, 2019 in Kosice, Slovakia. (Photo by Dean Woolley/MB Media/Getty Images)
KOSICE, SLOVAKIA - MAY 17: Finlands Mikko Lehtonen calls for the puck during the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Slovakia group A game between Finland and Great Britain at Steel Arena on May 17, 2019 in Kosice, Slovakia. (Photo by Dean Woolley/MB Media/Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs should sign Mikko Lehtonen after Jokerit mutually agreed to terminate his contract, thus making him a free agent.

So who exactly is Mikko Lehtonen and why should the Toronto Maple Leafs sign him?

Well for starters, he’s a 26-year-old left-shot defenseman who has spent most of his professional career playing in the Finnish and Swedish Elite Hockey Leagues, until recently playing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Heading into next season the Toronto Maple Leafs currently have six defenseman signed and three pending RFA or UFA’s.

Currently Signed:

  • Morgan Rielly
  • Jake Muzzin
  • Rasmus Sandin
  • Calle Rosen
  • Martin Marincin
  • Justin Holl

Pending RFA & UFA’s:

  • Tyson Barrie
  • Travis Dermott
  • Cody Ceci

Of those players that are currently signed next season, Rosen is exempt from waivers so he can go up and down with the Marlies, and Marincin is likely expendable.

As for the pending RFA and UFA’s, Dermott is realistically the only player expected back in Toronto. Therefore, the team will still have two NHL defenseman slots available and can be flexible with Rosen.

With those two spots available, Lehtonen would be a great fit.

I know the Leafs would desperately love a right-handed defenseman over a left-handed one, but he’s too skilled to pass up.

In 60 games in the KHL, Lehtonen had 17 goals and 49 points, which led his entire team in scoring.

The Leafs philosophy is built around skilled puck-moving defenseman who can make quick passes out of the zone to create offense, rather than stay-at-home defenseman.

That’s where Lehtonen fits in perfectly.

In recent signings with free-agent KHL players, the Leafs have been able to do it with entry level contracts.

Ilya Mikheyev, Nikita Zaitsev and Alexander Barabanov are all examples of players that the Leafs were able to get from the KHL on a one-year $925,000 contract.

Lehtonen is a little different, unfortunately. Based on his age (26 years old) and professional games played in Europe, Lehtonen will fall under the Group 6 UFA status, meaning that he has no restrictions on his contract.

He won’t be forced to a one-year entry level deal like those other examples, so it’s expected that his price-tag will be higher.

Regardless, it’s tough to imagine that his asking price will be much more than a two-year deal worth $1.5 million per year because he’s never shown his worth at the NHL level.

Most players entering the NHL from the KHL sign short-term contracts betting on themselves that an extension will follow. This doesn’t happen with everyone but Zaitsev is one example that fell into this category after signing a seven-year $31.5 million contract extension a few years ago.

Similar to when the Leafs acquired Barabanov, I’d expect that 15-20 teams will be interested in Lehtonen, so the Leafs will be in tough company to sign him.

However, if the price is right this would be a very low-risk investment that would be not only beneficial to the blue-line, but to the salary cap.

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