Auston Matthews Rejoins Practice
The Toronto Maple Leafs have big expectations once again this season as they enter the 2021-22 campaign in a win-now mode. The team has already stripped out most of their 2022 draft capital, meaning they can’t afford to go down early this time around.
One of the keys to their potential success, Auston Matthews, underwent wrist surgery this offseason after attempting to rehabilitate the injury. That surgery could have potentially forced Matthews to miss the early part of the season, but he is making strong progress and rejoined the team for nearly an entire practice according to Jonas Siegal of The Athletic. The Maple Leafs kick off their season in ten days.
Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Braeden Kressler To Entry-Level Contract
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed 18-year-old center Braeden Kressler to a three-year entry-level contract, announced by agent Dan Milstein on Twitter. Kressler was eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft but was not selected. PuckPedia reports the structure of the $835,000 cap hit deal as follows:
2021-22: $750,000 salary, $75,000 SB, $80,000 minors salary
2022-23: $750,000 salary, $75,000 SB, $80,000 minors salary
2023-24: $775,000 salary, $80,000 SB, $80,000 minors salary
Kressler attended Toronto’s training camp as an undrafted free agent, playing his way into an entry-level contract. It’s the second undrafted free agent signing we’ve seen from the 2021 class, following up Philadelphia’s signing of Jon-Randall Avon.
One of the players seriously affected by the lost 2020-21 season in the OHL, Kressler will be returning to the Flint Firebirds next season as the first year of his entry-level contract will slide, in all likelihood. A prototypical two-way center, Kressler tallied 18 points in 46 games as a rookie for Flint in 2019-20. He’s set to resume a much more important role in Flint this year, meaning his point totals will likely see a sharp uptick.
The 2003-born forward is likely a few seasons away from playing professional hockey for the Leafs, but it’s a no-risk move that carries potential upside years down the line for this Toronto organization.
Maple Leafs Agree To Two-Year Extension With Sheldon Keefe
Teams generally don’t like when their coaches are in the final year of their contracts and the Maple Leafs were set to be in that situation with Sheldon Keefe. However, that won’t be the case anymore as Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Toronto has inked their bench boss to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2023-24 season.
The 41-year-old was promoted to Toronto’s head coaching role back in 2019 following the firing of Mike Babcock (whose contract runs through 2022-23) but hasn’t yet had a full 82-game season with the Maple Leafs and is in the middle of his first regular training camp with the team.
Toronto has had plenty of regular season success with Keefe at the helm with the team posting a .660 point percentage with young stars like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner immediately seeing their ice time and production improve. However, that hasn’t materialized into playoff success as they were upset in the bubble in 2020 by Columbus in the play-in series and last spring by Montreal in the opening round of the postseason.
Accordingly, this short-term pact makes sense from Toronto’s perspective. With Keefe barely having 100 games under his belt behind the bench plus their early ousters, he wasn’t in a position to command a lucrative long-term deal but their regular season success has shown enough to suggest he’s worth keeping around. This contract is a commitment from GM Kyle Dubas to stick with the process – one Dubas made this summer by not significantly shaking up the core – but is short enough that it shouldn’t be an impediment if it’s decided that a change has to be made.
Matthews Joins Main Group As Rehab Continues
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a welcome sight at practice today when Auston Matthews joined the main group for the first time. Matthews is rehabbing from offseason wrist surgery and had been working out on his own previously, but will now be part of the non-contact drills as he progresses toward full strength. The star center is still on track to be ready for the start of the season, though it is not clear if he will participate in any of the team’s remaining exhibition games.
Groin Injury For Ian Scott
- Maple Leafs goalie prospect Ian Scott suffered a groin injury early in the third period in Saturday’s victory over Montreal, notes TSN’s Kristen Shilton (Twitter link). He had hip surgery two years ago and while he’s in the third and final year of his entry-level contract, Scott has played in just seven career professional contests. Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the netminder is expected to miss some time.
Maple Leafs Sign William Villeneuve
The Maple Leafs have signed one of their prospects, announcing that they’ve inked defenseman William Villeneuve to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 19-year-old was drafted back in 2020 following an impressive QMJHL season with Saint John that saw him lead all blueliners in scoring with 58 points in 64 games. However, despite that strong showing, Villeneuve had to wait a while for his name to be called as he was a fourth-round pick (122nd overall) that year. Last season, he suited up in 33 regular season games with the Sea Dogs, collecting 20 points while adding six more in as many postseason contests before joining the AHLs Marlies for two games down the stretch.
Villeneuve is expected to soon be loaned back to Saint John for their upcoming season which will be a long one as they are hosting the Memorial Cup which will take place in early June. Unless he plays in more than 10 games with Toronto this season, his contract will slide for 2021-22 and still have three years left on it in 2022-23.
Montreal Canadiens Announce Several Injuries
Saturday: Hoffman is expected to miss four weeks, reports TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. On that timeline, he will miss the first few games of the regular season.
Thursday: The Montreal Canadiens started their on-ice portion of training camp today, but they were a bit shorthanded. The team announced that Paul Byron, Mike Hoffman, Joel Teasdale, Josh Brook, and Carey Price all failed their physicals as they deal with various injuries. All five players are “most likely” out for the entire camp.
While the news about Price isn’t unexpected, the fact that Hoffman is going to miss all of camp came as a surprise to many after he signed a three-year, $13.5MM contract this offseason. The 31-year-old sniper is dealing with a lower-body injury and it is not clear if he will miss any of the season at this point.
Hoffman was signed to add a little more scoring punch to a group that finished 17th in goals for last season. They bid farewell to Tomas Tatar, Phillip Danault, Corey Perry, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but should be getting a full season from young phenom Cole Caufield. One of the most consistent goal-scoring and powerplay threats in the league, Hoffman has scored 186 goals over the last seven seasons, including 17 in 52 games last year.
The Canadiens, who went to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, will have a difficult path to the playoffs this year. The divisions are back to normal, meaning the Atlantic Division is packed with the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Toronto Maple Leafs, all teams that finished ahead of Montreal last season. Early injuries can be overcome, but they certainly won’t make things easier.
Morgan Rielly Comments On Contract Situation
Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly is heading into the final year of his contract and with a $5MM price tag on his current deal, it’s safe to say that he’s heading for a sizable raise on his next deal. The blueliner spoke with reporters today including TSN’s Kristen Shilton to discuss his situation:
Petruzzelli Explains Why He Chose Maple Leafs
That’s exactly what the Red Wings wanted Petruzzelli to do, according to a report from Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, but the 22-year-old was ready to test himself at the next level. He signed a two-year AHL contract with the Toronto Marlies, joining a Maple Leafs’ organization that is still searching for its “goaltender of the future.” The 2021 Hobey Baker finalist explained to Wheeler exactly why he chose Toronto to start his pro career and went in-depth on the struggles he has had to add weight to his 6’6″ frame in the past. There’s still a long way to go for the young netminder, but an NHL deal at some point down the road seems likely.
Toronto Maple Leafs Add Nikita Gusev On PTO
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Russian winger Nikita Gusev to a professional tryout contract. CapFriendly was first to report the news Friday night.
Gusev has had quite the journey around the NHL despite only playing 97 career games over the past two seasons. Originally a seventh-round draft selection in 2012 by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Gusev was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 for expansion draft considerations. Gusev signed his entry-level contract with Vegas during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but never suited up for the franchise. His signing rights were dealt to the New Jersey Devils just months later in exchange for draft picks, where the former KHL All-Star and Gagarin Cup Champion then suited up for his rookie season. Things went well for Gusev in 2019-20, scoring 44 points in 66 games, but fell out of favor with the coaching staff this year and saw his contract mutually terminated. After clearing waivers, Gusev signed a deal with the Florida Panthers for the remainder of the season. He performed decently with Florida down the stretch, scoring five points in 11 games, but didn’t make a playoff appearance.
While his inconsistency and uncertainty last season may have some questioning the tryout, he’s still just one year removed from a 40-point campaign in a shortened season. Gusev’s certainly had his struggles defensively, he’s still an extremely skilled playmaker and a valuable power-play option. Gusev, if he’s signed, could join a left-wing depth chart in Toronto that’s wide open. He’ll compete with Nick Ritchie, Michael Bunting, and others for potential top-six usage with either Auston Matthews or John Tavares. Adding Gusev to an already possession-strong unit could potentially pay dividends.