The Wild have signed right-winger Brett Leason to a professional tryout, according to a team release.
Leason, 26, was a second-round pick by the Capitals back in 2019 after being passed over twice in the draft. He made his NHL debut in Washington two years later. While his offensive production on the farm for the Caps wasn’t particularly impressive, it was clear his defensive acumen and checking ability were strong enough, coupled with his 6’5″, 220-lb frame, to create a niche for himself in a bottom-six role in the NHL.
Leason averaged just 8:57 per game across 36 appearances in that first taste of NHL hockey with Washington, recording six points, 14 blocks, and 16 hits. He wasn’t killing penalties, but he was used primarily in defensive situations at even strength, responding with strong possession numbers like a 52.2 CF% and a 55.1 xGF% for his role.
Washington rewarded Leason, a pending RFA at the time, with a two-year, one-way deal to indicate they expected him on the roster going forward. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite make the cut for their opening night roster in 2022-23. He ended up on waivers and was claimed by the Ducks.
Slowly but surely, Leason established himself as an NHL regular in Anaheim. He served as a fine depth option for them over the past three years, never getting more than 70 appearances in a season but never fewer than 50. The 2023-24 campaign was something of a breakout for him, recording 11 goals and 22 points in 68 showings while seeing frequent PK deployment for the first time and averaging north of 13 minutes per game. While the Ducks non-tendered him that June, they ended up bringing him back anyway on a one-year, $1.05MM deal in free agency.
Leason met that same non-tender fate this summer. While his usage stayed the same, averaging just around 13 minutes per night, his offensive production slipped to five goals and 17 points in 62 games. He was also a frequent healthy scratch down the stretch, only appearing in three of Anaheim’s final 12 games of the season as they looked to give NHL reps to some younger talent.
At first glance, Leason’s possession numbers in Anaheim weren’t great, but they need a little more context. The Ducks have been one of the worst two-way teams in the league during his tenure, and his defensive workload at even strength peaked this past season with a 70.5 dZS%. Despite that, Anaheim still controlled 41.0% of shot attempts with Leason on the ice – only a relative decrease of 4.6% from when he wasn’t out there – and his 42.5 xGF% was the best he’d posted in a Ducks jersey.
His lack of usage down the stretch was a clear indicator he wasn’t in the Ducks’ long-term plans anyway, but he did enough last season to prove some legitimate utility as a bottom-six checking winger with a bit of a scoring touch. In that sense, it’s a tad surprising there wasn’t more interest in his services on a guaranteed deal earlier in the offseason.
Nonetheless, he now heads to St. Paul to try to earn a contract and a roster spot. The Wild beefed up their forward depth by retaining Marcus Johansson and adding Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and Nico Sturm in free agency, while recent first-rounders Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov are also well-positioned to land expanded roles (or simply an NHL debut, in Yurov’s case). There may not be a huge chance for him to skate in Minnesota’s opening night lineup unless an injury creates a hole, but there is a pathway for him to beat out a name like Aubé-Kubel, who was on waivers last season and cleared, for a spot on the 23-player active roster.