Denis Malgin Has Returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be re-united with Swiss star, Denis Malgin, for the 2022-23 NHL season.

Malgin signed a one-year league minimum ($750k) deal with the Leafs on July 13th.  When his contract expires, the 25 year-old will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights.

After playing 8 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020, Malgin returned to Switzerland for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.  Apparently, he wanted to stay close to home during the uncertain times surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had tendered him a qualifying offer when his NHL contract expired in 2021, and though Malgin decided against renewing his NHL contract, the Leafs have retained his NHL rights.

Though Malgin went pointless in his 8 games with Toronto so far, he did have four goals and 12 points in 36 games with the Florida Panthers earlier that season.  Malgin’s best NHL season was in 2017-18 where he had 11 goals and 22 points in 51 games with the Panthers.

Malgin was acquired from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Mason Marchment.  The trade has been criticized by fans after Marchment exploded with 18 goals and 47 points in 54 games with the Panthers last season.

Hindsight is 20/20.  No one criticized the trade at the time, other than those who complain about everything Kyle Dubas does, and would complain if he landed Sidney Crosby.  When it happened Marchment had one assist in four NHL games.  No one predicted he would suddenly be amazing two seasons later.

Denis Malgin Returns to the Toronto Maple Leafs

During the 2020-21 season, Denis Malgin played with Lausanne in the Swiss National League where he scored 19 goals and 42 points in 45 games.

Last season, he played with Auston Matthews’ old team, ZSC in the Swiss National League, where he scored 21 goals and 52 points in 48 games.

Malgin also had 5 goals and 12 points in 8 games playing for Team Switzerland during the 2022 World Championships and one goal in three games for Switzerland during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Denis Malgin may find himself somewhere in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup, which at the moment appears very much in flux.  He’s going to be competing against many similarly priced options.

Worst case, Malgin would start the NHL season with the Toronto Marlies, and he’d be one of the first players considered for a call-up to fill in for injuries. (Stats from hockey-reference and Capfriendly)

In 28 career AHL games, Denis Malgin has 7 goals and 26 points.  All were with the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2016-17 and 2017-18.