Details on the contracts for new Toronto Maple Leafs defenders Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman have come down, with Chris Johnston of Sportsnet reporting that each will earn $832,500 on their entry-level contracts, with full “Schedule A” performance bonuses that will allow them to make up to $850K more each season. The deals also come with a $92.5K signing bonus each season, making the maximum they can earn $1.775MM in each season.
It’s hard to believe that both players would hit their full “Schedule A” bonuses, but the team does hope that they can make an impact sooner rather than later. Rosen, 23, has played two full seasons in the SHL already and should be prepared for life as a professional hockey player. Borgman, just 21, also has a chance to impress especially given the more physical nature of his play.
- Chuck Gormley reports that the Buffalo Sabres’ new GM Jason Botterill may bring Randy Sexton with him to his new job. Sexton has found success as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ director of amateur scouting, but is most known for his selection of Alexandre Daigle when he was the GM of the Ottawa Senators. Daigle of course was one of, if not the, worst draft busts in history. Signed to a five-year, $12.25MM deal before he’d even hit the ice for the team, the league would later introduce rookie limits due to the disaster that was Daigle’s deal. Sexton has since served as the GM of the Florida Panthers, before joining the Penguins in 2010.
- Despite not playing at all in 2016-17, Ladislav Smid has signed a two-year contract with his former Czech team, Liberec. Still just 31-years old, Smid is coming off a four-year $14MM deal with the Calgary Flames after being traded from Edmonton in 2013, but spent the entire final season on LTIR. In 583 games, the defenseman scored just 72 points but was a physical force at times. After several neck injuries, he was forced to sit out this entire year but apparently is healthy enough to contribute in his home country. His time in the NHL seems to be over, at least for the immediate future.