Kyle Dubas Scoops Another Former Toronto Maple Leafs Player

Since the Toronto Maple Leafs parted ways with their former general manager, Kyle Dubas, he’s been making moves as the President of Hockey Operations of the Pittsburgh Penguins. One of his first orders of business was to snatch away one of the Leafs players. Dubas and the Pens inked Noel Acciari to a new deal on the first day of free agency.

The latest organizational move sees another former Toronto Maple Leafs player headed to Steel City. This time, it’s Andreas Johnsson.

The Penguins announced Friday that they signed the left-winger to a one-year $800,000 deal.

Johnson was an unrestricted free agent after playing for both the New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks last season. He played just 11 games for the Sharks and two for the Devils, recording a total of three points (all assists) between the pair of clubs.

Toronto Maple Leafs Ex-GM Strikes Again

Last season, Johnsson also played for the Utica Comets, New Jersey’s AHL affiliate. In 36 games, he scored nine goals and added 20 helpers.

Now, at age 28, Johnsson will reunite with Dubas. The pair have a history of success together. In 2017-18, they won the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies. Dubas was the team’s general manager and Johnsson was an impact player. That season, in 54 contests, he recorded 26 goals and 28 assists, making him a point-per-game player.

The following year, Johnsson had his best NHL season, which saw him become a 20-goal scorer for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That year, he put together a 20-goal, 23-assists campaign. That gave the winger 43 points in 73 games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Johnsson in the seventh-round, 202nd overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He had established himself as a strong player in his home country of Sweden playing for the Frölunda HC organization. In 2014, before coming over to North America, Johnsson was named the SHL Rookie of the Year.

When Johnsson came to Toronto, he played a total of three seasons with the Leafs, which saw him skate a total of 125 games in blue and white. Over that span, he scored 30 goals and 37 assists for a total of 67 points. In his six-year NHL career, Johnsson has played 259 games and recorded 116 points on 48 goals and 68 assists.

In October of 2020, Johnsson’s time with the Leafs had come to an end. Dubas pulled the trigger on a trade that sent him to the Devils in exchange for Joey Anderson. Anderson remained with the Tornto Maple Leafs until last season when he was moved as part of the deal that brought Toronto Jake McCabe and Sam Lafferty.

Johnsson’s current contract with the Penguins gives him a chance to re-establish himself as a full time NHL player. He can be expected to begin as a fourth-line player next to center Acciari. Together, unless the Pens manage to make another roster upgrade, the former Leafs could be expected to play with another new Dubas’ acquisition on their line, right-winger Matthew Nieto.

Eyes will remain on Dubas by Leafs fans. Time will tell how many more former Leafs he brings over to Pittsburgh.