For the second consecutive season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have managed to land the number one European free agent primed for NHL minutes.
Last October, Ilya Mikheyev burst onto the scene following a summer of minimal fanfare heading into the season. This time around, things will be much more different with Lehtonen, and that primarily comes down to the position he plays.
Though Mikheyev had a promising statistical profile when he signed his one-year ELC a year ago, there wasn’t all that much hype around him coming into the season. As a winger entering a Toronto organization filled to the brim with depth options on the wing, it makes sense that he was able to fly under the radar until everyone hit the ice for training camp.