In many ways, Otto Leskinen is one of the more underrated prospects in the Canadiens organization. A native of the small town of Pieksämäki, Finland, Leskinen honed his skills as an offensive defenseman in the SM Liiga, seeing top line minutes on an inexperienced KalPa Kuopio team, alongside former second round picks Alexandre Texier and Eetu Luostarinen.
After the 2018-19 season, where he recorded eight goals and 23 assists in 57 games, the Canadiens signed Leskinen to a two-year entry-level deal towards the beginning of the off-season.
At the time, the deal was seen as more of an interesting discussion piece than anything, as Leskinen’s numbers, while solid, didn’t exactly jump off the page.