Where Will the Toronto Maple Leafs Play New European Acquisitions?

During the NHL pause after the season suspended on March 12th, 2020, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas began hunting for depth free agents for next season

The Toronto Maple Leafs immediately  looked into the foreign KHL market for players looking to make the jump to the highest level of hockey competition in the world. In his bargain-bin hunting, Dubas managed to ink defensemen Mikko Lehtonen and forward Alexander Barabanov to entry-level contracts.

Because both are going to be playing in the first full NHL season ever, it is hard to predict where they could conceivably slot into the Leafs lineup, but given the Leafs need for players who can out-perform their entry-level contracts, its a solid bet that both will be in the lineup.

Management will be hoping both can make immediate impacts, similar to Ilya Mikheyev who signed as a KHL free agent last offseason – began the season on the third line, but proved to the coaching staff he was more than capable of being a top-six winger and started seeing minutes alongside John Tavares and Mitch Marner.

With the expectation both players need to hit the ground running and demonstrate they can handle NHL competition, let’s examine who Lehtonen and Barabanov are most likely going to play with next year.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Alex Barabanov and Mikko Lehtonen

Mikko Lehtonen (stats; eliteprospects.com)

Position: Defense

Age: 26

Height/Weight: 6”0’, 196 lbs

Shoots: Left

2019-20 stats: Jokerit (KHL) – 17 goals – 32 assists – 49 points – 60 games

The hype is real for Mikko Lehtonen. Take a look at all the accolades the Finnish defensemen was able to rack up just this past year:

KHL All-Star Game

KHL Defenseman of the Month (November)

KHL Defenseman of the Month (December)

KHL Defenseman of the Month (January)

KHL Defenseman of the Week (Oct. 14)

KHL Defenseman of the Week (Dec. 10)

KHL Most Assists by Defenseman (32)

KHL Most Goals by Defenseman (17)

KHL Most Points by Defenseman (49)

And finally, KHL Defensemen of the Year

The New Jersey Devils, Los Angeles Kings and Montreal Canadiens were deemed front runners, but Kyle Dubas was able to sweep in at the 11th hour and nab the young defensemen. Early reports surrounding the “Finnish Bobby Orr” following his mutual contract termination with Jokerit was that he would be able to make the biggest immediate impact among all KHL signings.

There was also some confusion as to what style of defense Lehtonen plays. North American writers seemed to imply Lehtonen was an offense-first defender who can dominate a powerplay from the quarterback position. More reports began flowing in from Russian outlets that painted Lehtonen in a different picture.

They suggested Lehtonen plays more of a two-way game and can be an effective defensemen in his own end due to his smarts and speed. Furthermore, although left-handed, Lehtonen admitted he played a full season plus a tournament on the right side, saying “I don’t mind playing there, and sometimes I prefer it.” (source; Mark Zwolinski).

With all that in mind, it is hard to pinpoint exactly where Lehtonen could play. On one hand, he has all the tools to suggest he could step into the Toronto Maple Leafs top-four right away. On the other hand, he will be entering his first NHL season and might need time to adjust to the higher level of competition and smaller ice surface.

I am going to predict the former and Lehtonen will follow the Ilya Mikheyev blueprint, playing important minutes for Toronto Maple Leafs from the get-go. Kyle Dubas has been searching for a two-way defensemen to play alongside Morgan Rielly for forever, however, I predict Lehtonen will be that guy.

He’s got the necessary puck-moving capabilities and offensive tools that Toronto needs to complement their high-powered forwards as well as the defensive awareness and responsibility to allow Rielly to play his game as well. Being labelled “the best defensemen outside the NHL”, look for Lehtonen to make an instant impact.

Alexander Barabanov

Position: Right-wing

Age: 26

Height/Weight: 5”10’, 192 lbs

Shoots: Left

2019-20 Stats: SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)  11 goals – 9 assists – 20 points – 43 games

Similarly, Barabanov has the tools to be an effective NHL player like Lehtonen. Whether he plays in important minutes remains to be seen, although it is hard to not be excited about the player Toronto will be getting.

First, Barabaov has the potential skillset that complements superstars. The head coach of Team Russia at the 2019 World Championships trusted the winger to flank NHL star Alex Ovechkin and formed a line of Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Barabanov.

Second, highly regarded former KHL reporter Igor Eronko had this to say about Barabanov when he was questioned as to whether he can make it in the NHL.

Toronto’s bottom six has long been criticized for being too “soft” and needing to play a tougher style of hockey. In Barabanov, the Toronto Maple Leafs are getting a player who is tough along the boards, can win one on one situations, and has the excellent skating ability to bring the skill along with his exceptional work ethic.

As to where Barabanov is going to line up in 2020-21, the high-end projection would be for him to play on the right side of Alex Kerfoot as the team’s third line right-winger. The low-end projection would be for him to play alongside the Leafs’ fourth-line center – whoever that may be – and solidify the Leafs’ fourth-line right-wing spot.

I am going to side with the low-end projection and predict Barabanov slots in on the Leafs fourth line, with the ability to move up the lineup should any injuries arrive. The potential is there for the Russian winger to be the most effective bottom-six forward Toronto has next year.

His dog-on-the-puck, aggressive pursuit of the puck, coupled with tremendous skating ability and a skillset that complements stars, Barabanov is coming to Toronto looking to make a bang.

Kyle Dubas has a lot of work ahead of him retooling this Toronto Maple Leafs roster and it is important to find those low cap hit players that provide significant value from lower in the lineup. In Lehtonen and Barabanov, it seems as if he has found two.