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Toronto Maple Leafs Strike Gold With KHL’s Best Defenseman Mikko Lehtonen

By James Tanner

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) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have made their team significantly better.

On Monday Morning the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had signed KHL free agent defenseman Mikko Lehtonen to a one year contract.

Proving once and for all that they do not care about stay-at-home defenseman, or what hand a defenseman shoots with, the Leafs (who last summer traded for Lefty T.J Brodie before landing Tyson Barrie, only to have Nazem Kadri nix the deal with his NTC) have signed yet another offensive minded, puck moving, left handed defenseman.

Lehtonen, who will almost certainly make the team and play regular minutes, is a massive coup for the Leafs, as he is widely considered the best defenseman in the entire world not currently playing in the NHL.

Toronto Maple Leafs Strike Gold

The Leafs GM takes a lot of criticism for signing so many good players (yeah I know, when you say it out loud it does sound dumb) but (besides the math, game theory and several other factors) one of thing that allows them to work such a strategy is the abundance of cheap talent they are able to acquire.

You can add Lehtonen to the list that includes Ilya Mikheyev, Alexander Barabanov, Jason Spezza, Nick Shore (lost too waivers because the team was too deep), Kenny Agostino (not even needed in the NHL since the team was so deep), Pontus Aberg, Denis Malgin, Calle Rosen, Nic Petan, Garret Wilson etc.

All these players, every single one, is superior to what most teams play at the bottom of their lineup, but because the Toronto Maple Leafs prioritize skill over size and grinding ability, they are able to add these players at will, basically for free.

Consider also that this list doesn’t even include home-grown prospects like Justin Holl, Adam Brooks, Pierre Engval, Rasmus Sandin, Nick Robertson, Timothy Liljegren, or Mikhail Abramov and Freddie Gauthier.  (Cap info from capfriendly.com).

That is  19  players by my count that the Leafs have as options to fill out their lineup behind their core players.  Now a few of those players do need new contracts, but regardless, the options for the bottom of the roster are significantly better than any other team in the league.

Honestly, probably twice as good as the next team.  The Leafs depth is something more people should take note of when they criticize the cap situation.

Lehtonen is the KHL’s highest scoring defenseman. He is 26. He finished sixth overall in the league scoring race.  (Quanthockey.com).

This is a big deal.  This is the Leafs just absolutely dominating the NHL’s early offseason, because they have now arguably signed the two best free-agents who were not currently in the NHL. (Along with Barabanov).

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The   Toronto Maple Leafs have an incredible amount of options for their lineup.   Their team is stacked.

Oh and their supposedly weak defense?

It’s now a team strength.

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