There isn’t often a great deal of news worth following out of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in Russia for Toronto Maple Leafs fans.
However, this offseason, there has been a flurry of action that has involved multiple former Toronto Maple Leafs.
There are different reasons why NHL players go to Russia.
For some, they will make more money there than in North America. For others, they may have been relegated to an organization’s farm team without much hope of returning to the NHL. There are even players who would just prefer to play in KHL.
Multiple Former Toronto Maple Leafs Players Sign in the KHL
Three former Leafs worked out new contracts this summer. The first to do was Brendan Leipsic. (Please note that all statistics are from Elite Prospects.)
Brendan Leipsic
Brendan Leipsic is a 29-year-old left-winger from Winnipeg, MB. He played three seasons with the Toronto Marlies and was even named the assistant captain of the team. Leipsic was called up to play six games for the Maple Leafs in 2015-16 where he scored a goal and two assists.
Leipsic’s final year in the NHL was in 2019-20 where he played 61 games for the Washington Capitals. He recorded three goals and eight assists. The following season, he packed his gear and went to Russia to play for CSKA Moskva.
On June 23, Leipsic signed with his third KHL team, SKA St. Petersburg. He inked a two year deal with them that will begin once the KHL’s season gets underway.
Jeremy Bracco
On July 1, when the NHL saw many of their unrestricted free agents sign new deals, the same thing was happening in the KHL. That’s when Jeremy Bracco signed a one-year extension with Barys Astana.
Leafs fans will remember Bracco as the center of his own conspiracy theory. He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, 61st overall. Sadly, he never made it to play for the Leafs, but he did suit up for the Toronto Marlies. Bracco’s final season in North America was in 2019-20 with the Marlies.
The next year, Bracco began his hockey journey in Europe. It began in Finland playing in Liiga. The next season the winger played in Germany for Krefeld Pinguine in Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
Last season was Bracco’s first in the KHL. He played 59 games for Barys, where he registered 59
14 goals and 26 assists, giving him a total of 40 points.
Pontus Aberg
On the same day that Bracco agreed to return to Barys, he gained a teammate there who he played with on the Marlies. Pontus Aberg is about to embark on his KHL adventure and he’ll have his old friend by his side.
Unlike Bracco, Aberg played in the NHL. The last franchise he was with was the Maple Leafs. That was in 2019-20. Aberg played five games that year where he registered an assist.
The following season, Aberg took his talents to Chelyabinsk, Russia, where he played for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL. The winger spent the next two years playing in four different countries: Canada (for the Belleville Senators in the AHL), Sweden (for Timrå IK in the SHL), Czechia (for BK Mladá Boleslav), and Switzerland (for SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the NL).
This coming season marks Aberg’s return to the KHL. Hopefully, he is able to find strong footing with his new club.