The Toronto Maple Leafs have attempted to be productive over the last two months with the NHL paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The club signed defensemen Filip Kral and Kristians Rubins to entry-level contracts last month and GM Kyle Dubas continued to mind for gems in the KHL with one-year deals for forward Alexander Barabanov and defenseman Mikko Lehtonen.
On Thursday, the club announced the signing of center Adam Brooks to a two-year, $1.45 Million contract. The deal is two-way, with an AAV of $725,000 per season.
Brooks was selected 92nd overall as an overager at the 2016 NHL Draft after a 120-point season with the WHL’s Regina Pats. He finished second in CHL scoring (130 points) in 2017 before turning pro with the AHL Toronto Marlies and winning a Calder Cup in 2018.
The center took on more responsibility in his second AHL season, raised his point totals to 40 points (21 goals, 19 assists) and scored six goals in the Marlies run to the Calder Cup Eastern Conference Final. The 24-year-old finally got his chance in the NHL in late December, registering three assists in seven games before being sent back to the AHL.
Brooks is well liked by the Leafs management team for his skill set and playmaking ability, and was mentioned by Leafs Assistant GM Laurence Gilman in his season-ending conference call on Monday as someone who contributed to the parent club this season.
The two-year deal gives the Leafs some cover up the middle in the near future. Veteran Jason Spezza is likely to come back for another year and big Frederik Gauthier is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent after the season.
Toronto will have to expose players who have reached certain games played benchmarks in the NHL for the Seattle expansion draft next June and if Gauthier is one of those players, Brooks could be a potential option to replace “The Goat” on the fourth line.
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More honors bestowed on Leafs top prospect Nick Robertson, who was named the winner of the William Hanley Trophy (awarded to the OHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player). The 19-year-old led the OHL with 55 goals in 46 games with the Peterborough Petes and starred for Team USA at the 2020 IIHF World Juniors in the Czech Republic.
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