The Toronto Maple Leafs have been quite busy scouring the European free agent market in the quest for cost-effective signings with their likely cap difficulties next season. After finally locking up 2016 second round Egor Korshkov last week and completing the much-rumored signing of KHL winger Ilya Mikheyev on Monday, the Leafs added Finnish blueliner Teemu Kivihalme to the fold on a one-year entry-level contract on Tuesday.
Kivihalme, 23, was a fifth-round pick (140th overall) of the Nashville Predators in 2013 and played three NCAA seasons at Colorado College before heading to the Finnish SM-Liiga to play for Karpat, where he won the league championship as a rookie. In 60 regular season games, the 6’0”, 180 lb defenseman had 30 points (9 goals and 21 assists) this season and nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 16 playoff games.
As with Mikheyev, the deal is a two-way entry-level deal (reportedly $800,000 by the Toronto Star’s Kevin McGran) for the 2019-20 season, after which both players become arbitration-eligible restricted free agents. This provides the Leafs with experienced, low-cost organizational depth at the worst and players who might be able to step into the NHL next season at some point.
Teemu Kivihalme is a 23-year-old LD from Finland. He also has done a "salt bae" celebration after scoring an OT winner.
These additions also may be signaling an organizational transition, with the signing of Kivihalme, the Leafs are already at 37 professional contracts, but that amount could be altered based on how many ELC’s will be exempt and candidates to slide to starting in 2020 (ex. Ian Scott, Timothy Liljegren, Ramsus Sandin and Semyon Der-Argushintsev).
With Korshkov and Mikheyev added to the sizable forward group with the Toronto Marlies pushing for NHL jobs, the likelihood of veteran Tyler Ennis being re-signed has decreased, but it also means that veteran AHLers like Josh Jooris might only return if they take AHL deals as veteran Colin Greening did last season.
The youth movement is becoming increasingly apparent on defense with the Marlies. In Game 2 of the Calder Cup series against Cleveland after Calle Rosen was injured, the club dressed four players on the blueline (Sandin, Liljegren, Mac Hollowell and Joseph Duszak) under the age of 22.
Kivihalme, Duszak and possibly 2015 draft pick Jesper Lindgren appear to be set to play in the AHL next season with Rosen, Sandin, and Liljegren potentially vying for NHL jobs. GM Kyle Dubas continues to bring in defensive help more matching the trend in the league towards speed and skill.
This is why Igor Ozhiganov’s stock fell in the second half (who The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel reported on Monday is headed back to the KHL) and the club will likely part ways with the defensively inept Martin Marincin this summer.
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