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Andreas Borgman

NHL Snapshots: Girard, Flyers Draft, Rosen, Borgman

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The Nashville Predators have some defensive issues to worry about with defender Ryan Ellis out for several more months due to knee surgery. However, one issue the team has is a good one as the play of Samuel Girard has impressed everyone. Suddenly, the issue is whether or not to keep him on their roster to start the season.

Girard, a second-round pick in 2016, is just 19 years old, but the gifted offensive defenseman has worked hard to show that he is ready for the NHL now. And with Ellis’ injury, might there be a place for him? The team has used him heavily in the preseason. He has played in all four games, logging more than 20 minutes in each game. According to Adam Vingan of the Tennessean, Girard is making a strong case to stay. His last game on Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets with most of their opening-night starters on the ice, Girard played 24:02, second to Roman Josi.

The team is considering keeping him, knowing full well that if they don’t, he’ll return to his junior team and cannot be recalled until after their season is over. The team could also keep him for nine games without burning his first year of his entry-level deal.

  • Sam Carchidi of Philly.com writes that the Philadelphia Flyers could get a big break from the St. Louis Blues if their injuries continue to mount. The Flyers, who acquired the Blues 2017 and 2018 first-round picks from St. Louis for Brayden Schenn. They used that 2017 pick on Morgan Frost and were expecting a late first-rounder in next year’s draft. However, with some of the injuries that St. Louis has suffered, it will be Philadelphia that reaps the benefits if the Blues see a drop in the wins column. If it were to turn into a top-10 pick, the Blues would get the pick back. Carchidi writes that would be unlikely, however, as the Blues are still a solid team, but the injuries could improve the chances that their pick will be an even better one.
  • Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun writes that at least one of the two Sweedish defensemen pair of Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman are likely to make the team. Both had key moments in Friday’s preseason game and the two little-known blueliners are starting to make a name for themselves. Rosen, 23, is a gifted skater and passing defenseman, coming over from Sweden for the first time, while Borgman, the 2017 SHL Rookie of the Year, is a more physical defensive player.

Morning Notes: Maple Leafs, Sexton, Smid

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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.

Filip Sandberg Eyeing Jump To NHL

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It’s already been a busy off-season for European players crossing the Atlantic to join the NHL ranks, and it doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Add forward Filip Sandberg to the list of names expected to be skating in North America next season. The Swedish forward has not been identified as an NHL target by any of the more well-known media outlets on this continent, but Swedish news source Jönköpings Posten, “JP”, makes it sound like a forgone conclusion that Sandberg is headed overseas. (link and article in Swedish)

The JP article specifically names the Detroit Red Wings as a suitor for Sandberg’s services, but expect many teams to be bidding for the young Swede. At 22 years old, the versatile Sandberg can play all three forward positions and shows two-way ability often unseen in Europe. He also has a high level of hockey intelligence, positioning, and vision, making him an ideal play-maker, especially when lined up at center. While his size – 5’9″, 181-lbs. – could be seen as a hindrance to success at the NHL level, it hasn’t held him back so far. For a smaller player, Sandberg is tenacious along the boards and on the forecheck.

Assuming Sandberg signs in the NHL. its yet another big loss for his Swedish Hockey League club, HV71. They signed minor league MVP Victor Ejdsell to a contract earlier this off-season, only to watch him sign with the Nashville Predators as well and put his status with the team in doubt. Then, just yesterday, 21-year-old star stay-at-home defenseman Andreas Borgman announced he would be leaving the team and within hours was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The same quick turnaround could occur following the rumors surrounding Sandberg, as not only does he have great ability and just finished the best season of his career, but he is also fresh off the highest-scoring stretch of his career as well, tallying 14 points in 16 games for HV71 in the postseason. The team did re-sign Sandberg to a two-year extension back in February, but as the JP article states, those contracts mean little when NHL teams come calling. Sanberg seems likely to be joining Borgman in North America sooner rather than later.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Calle Rosen, Andreas Borgman

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After a report earlier today that Andreas Borgman was coming to the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs have announced they have signed both him and countryman Calle Rosen to two-year entry-level contracts. Rosen had been linked to the Maple Leafs for almost a month now, with reports surfacing that he would sign with the team before long. Mike Babcock told Darren Dreger of TSN just a few days ago that the team would announce some signings soon.

Rosen, 23, is the more experienced of the two and has played the last two seasons for Vaxjo in the Swedish Hockey League. His two-way game is considered ready for at least a part-time role in the NHL, and he will have a chance to break camp with the Maple Leafs on the third-pairing. Both Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak are unrestricted free agents after spending the majority of the season in that role.

Left-handed but capable on both sides of the ice, Rosen is a solid skater that joins the rush and can move the puck effectively out of traffic in his own end. While it’s not a lock that he’ll make much of an impact at the NHL level he provides a depth option that can be inserted right away if need be.

Borgman on the other hand is a little further away at just 21-years old. His path likely begins in the AHL for the Toronto Marlies, where he’ll try to repeat the breakout performance from this season. Named the SHL’s Rookie of the Year, Borgman made the jump from the Allsvenskan quite well and even improved his game further in the postseason. His ceiling likely lands as a depth option as well, but it’s a little less certain at this point.

The Maple Leafs needed depth on the blueline, after going much of the year without injury and still seemingly not having much consistency. While Rosen and Borgman don’t provide the elite right-handed defender they’d like, they do add some options to the system other than prospects Travis Dermott and Andrew Nielsen.

Andreas Borgman Leaves HV71, Will Sign In NHL

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Another Swedish defender will be heading to North America soon, as HV71 has announced that Andreas Borgman will be leaving the team for the NHL. They report that he already has a contract, though don’t specify which team it is with. Borgman won Rookie of the Year in the SHL this season after scoring 15 points in 45 games and another 10 in the playoffs en route to HV71’s league championship.

Along with Calle Rosen and Philip Holm, both of whom have been linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the exodus of young Swedish defenders looks like it will be quite drastic this summer. Borgman had just played his first season in the SHL, though he had developed in the second league with Timra and Vasteras previously. Undrafted, he was ranked 36th among International skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting in 2013.

Now 21, Borgman says in the translated article that it is a “boyhood dream come true” to sign with an NHL club. While there is no indication which team it is, it would be surprising to see the young defender step right into a full-time role. Though his game did take a tremendous leap forward this year, he’ll be just 22 when the season starts with almost zero experience on North American ice.

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