Leafs ink KHL defenceman Mikko Lehtonen to one-year, entry-level contract

The NHL season may be on pause, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have scored a big victory.

The team confirmed that they have signed highly sought-after defenceman Mikko Lehtonen to a one-year contract. The financial terms of the deal have not been made public.

The 26-year old Finnish native led among Kontinental Hockey League blueliners in goals (17), assists (32) and points (49) through 60 games with Jokerit this past season.

He also led Finland’s national men’s hockey team to a gold medal at the 2019 IIHF tournament, and represented them at the
PyeongChang Olympics in 2018.

The Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings were among the handful of NHL teams rumoured to be interested in his services.

It remains to be seen where he will slotted in the Leafs’ rotation, but if they lose the likes of Tyson Barrie via free agency, it not farfetched to assume he will be immediately inserted into their top 4.