Mikko Lehtonen signs with Leafs

[CarltonTheBear]

Wasn't Zaitsev considered one of the best in the KHL?

Zaitsev's track record prior to the NHL would certainly be closer to Lehtonen's than a Rosen or a Borgman yeah. But I'd also say as much as we grumble about Zaitsev he's played almost 300 NHL games. As long as he fulfills his contract he's almost certainly going to play 500+ NHL games. He's both overpaid and overplayed but I mean neither of those things are really his fault. He shouldn't be lumped into the group of failed European signings. If we got a Zaitsev that's better offensively that'd be a pretty good signing.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

On another note I completely wiped Ozhiganov's existence from my memory and I hold everyone in this thread responsible for changing that.

 

[Highlander]

As someone who is trying to be very cautious about Lehtonen's NHL projections I will say none of those defencemen ever scored anywhere near what Lehtonen did last season and none of them were named their leagues top defenceman.

That doesn't mean his play will definitely translate to the NHL level, but he's definitely got a better track record than the other guys we tried plucking out of Europe.

Mirtle wrote this in his last article "I keep hearing very good things about Lehtonen, including the possibility he might be able to play more minutes than people think.
I know the Leafs have kind of been burned with these KHL players in the past (i.e. Ozhiganov). But Lehtonen might be one of those rare late-blooming Euros who actually can play more than fringe minutes."

 

[KadriFan]

Can he actually defend?  The leafs don?t need anymore fancy pass goal scorers. 

 

[dappleganger]

I can remember when people liked Zaitsev.

 

[Highlander]

Can he actually defend?  The leafs don?t need anymore fancy pass goal scorers.

From everything I am reading and seeing about him, he seems to have a well rounded game, but could be a 2nd power play specialist.  Perhaps Barrie with a bit more D in his game.

 

[Redleaf]

Can he actually defend?  The leafs don?t need anymore fancy pass goal scorers.

From everything I am reading and seeing about him, he seems to have a well rounded game, but could be a 2nd power play specialist.  Perhaps Barrie with a bit more D in his game.

A bit more Barrie than Barrie was for us this season and some defensive instincts would be nice

 

[Guilt Trip]

I can remember when people liked Zaitsev.

Zaitsev had a pretty good first year and actually got 12 PP points. Lou made the mistake of paying him 4.5 for 7 years and Babs played him like a top D man. At 1.5-2 mill he'd be a useful 6th guy. At 4.5 he's way overpaid for what he can bring.

 

[Guilt Trip]

Can he actually defend?  The leafs don?t need anymore fancy pass goal scorers.

From everything I am reading and seeing about him, he seems to have a well rounded game, but could be a 2nd power play specialist.  Perhaps Barrie with a bit more D in his game.

A bit more Barrie than Barrie was for us this season and some defensive instincts would be nice

Barrie actually had some decent numbers after Babs got the boot. He was never going to be a great defensive D man. As a 3rd pairing guy, at a reasonable cost and not playing 20 mins a game he'd be fine.

 

[Bender]

I can remember when people liked Zaitsev.

Zaitsev had a pretty good first year and actually got 12 PP points. Lou made the mistake of paying him 4.5 for 7 years and Babs played him like a top D man. At 1.5-2 mill he'd be a useful 6th guy. At 4.5 he's way overpaid for what he can bring.

If he was a cheap 3rd pair guy I'd have no problem. 

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

 

[Guilt Trip]

I can remember when people liked Zaitsev.

Zaitsev had a pretty good first year and actually got 12 PP points. Lou made the mistake of paying him 4.5 for 7 years and Babs played him like a top D man. At 1.5-2 mill he'd be a useful 6th guy. At 4.5 he's way overpaid for what he can bring.

If he was a cheap 3rd pair guy I'd have no problem. 

Sent from my SM-G986W using Tapatalk

Definitely.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/khl_eng/status/1309143300704800769

Interview with Lehtonen. Just talks a little bit about how his season has gone and his experiences in the KHL. An old TMLfans favourite makes a quick appearance in the middle.

 

[herman]

Nice find, Carlton

GK: Both Marjam?ki and the KHL?s smart puck system agree on one metric: your passing is laser-accurate. Was that a skill that coaches emphasized early on for you?

ML: When I was younger, one of my coaches always said, ?If you can complete nine of ten passes, you can play in better leagues and on better teams." So I think it has always been a big thing in my game. You have to put it on the tape?and it?s hard to say how I practice it, there?s nothing special for that?but I just keep focused on passing.

 

[Highlander]

I like this guy...lazer passes..Ohway!!

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/kyle_cush/status/1310322094740209666

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/jokerithc/status/1311706351652012032
4th of the season

 

[Guilt Trip]

https://twitter.com/jokerithc/status/1311706351652012032
4th of the season

He's good at getting the puck on net.

 

[herman]

Also good at getting the puck into the net
https://twitter.com/khl_eng/status/1313523060394336256
https://twitter.com/khl_eng/status/1313536387187200002
2G, 2A on the night

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/1314007975498047489

I'm not sure where, but it sure feels like Lehtonen will be on the team whenever the season starts. The fact that he'll have already been playing for months gives him a leg up as well.

Currently 10th in the KHL in scoring. Top-5 in PPG so would be higher if his team didn't have to quarantine for a bit there. 2nd in shots per game (1st is Soshnikov).

 

[Guilt Trip]

https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/1314007975498047489

I'm not sure where, but it sure feels like Lehtonen will be on the team whenever the season starts. The fact that he'll have already been playing for months gives him a leg up as well.

Currently 10th in the KHL in scoring. Top-5 in PPG so would be higher if his team didn't have to quarantine for a bit there. 2nd in shots per game (1st is Soshnikov).

I have a feeling this guy is going to be pushing top 4 by mid season.