Toronto Maple Leafs: Nicolas Aube-Kubel Might Be Another David Kampf

One of those Toronto Maple Leafs signings that barely moves the needle; Nicolas Aube-Kubel has potential to be as important as David Kampf last year.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs announced a two-year deal for David Kampf last summer, nobody really took any notice.  Kampf ended up posting great results in some of the most extreme minutes anyone in the NHL played.

Likewise, the signing of Nicolas Aube-Kubel this summer has the potential to be a steal by the time this season is over and done with.

He will get a shot to compete for a lineup spot, but potentially he could replace Ilya Mikheyev on the Toronto Maple Leafs third line after the Russian signed with the Vancouver Canucks this summer.

Toronto Maple Leafs Opt For a Smart Signing

The Toronto Maple Leafs been incredibly smart in adding Nicolas Aube-Kubel, not least because they’ve added one of this year’s Stanley Cup winning side.

To have added him for just one year and at a very cheap $1 million deal makes for a sensible bet. After all, if Aube-Kubel doesn’t live up to his contract, that’s easily buried and won’t hurt the salary cap long-term.

After losing the speed of Ilya Mikheyev on the third line, Nicolas Aube-Kubel lines up to be the ideal replacement; he made not have the raw pace but he is tenacious on the forecheck, making him a strong choice to line-up alongside Pierre Engvall and David Kampf.

He may be on the smaller side, but he brings a level of physicality to his game and is willing to drop the gloves if the call comes.

There is nothing to suggest he’s waiting to breakout akin to Michael Bunting last season, but David Kampf wasn’t that guy either.

Instead, he proved an important role player helping the Toronto Maple Leafs build a new image for their third line as a group that checked and hustled over team’s lines in a manner a Leafs group hadn’t for quite some time.

Remarkably too, for a player with a career-best of 8 goals in a season; he upped that number to 11 goals last season. Likewise, his career-best points total of 19 points was out-done by his 26 points.

This is exactly where Nicolas Aube-Kubel projects to fit with the Toronto Maple Leafs too. His career-best goal and points totals are nothing to write home about, with a best of 11 goals in his 23-point campaign for Colorado (and Philadelphia) last year.

Aube-Kubel could also earn a role as part of a rejigged Leafs penalty kill. Although he lacks any real pedigree shorthanded in the NHL, his specific skillset should lend to the ‘pressure kill’ stylings of Toronto.

Very much like David Kampf last summer, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs won’t be expecting a huge amount from Aube-Kubel; something he can use to his advantage.

What they may get in return is a very nice surprise when he shows up with the motivation of a player wanted to grab a second Stanley Cup ring in as many seasons.

These are the sorts of signings that Kyle Dubas needs to continue to make; the ones we expect little of but grow to love as the season progresses and they prove to be vital pieces in the bottom-six group.