Since the free agent frenzy opened, the Leafs have only made one signing although it has yet to be officially announced. With a bunch of players already snagged up, including some of their pending FAs, Brad Treliving had to act quickly.
His first signing since bringing in Ryan Reaves has emerged as an option for the Marlies.
Toronto signs William Lagesson.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2023
Although contract details are to be determined, the likelihood is that William Lagesson was brought in as reinforcement for the Marlies. This makes sense given that they did not tender a qualifying offer to Mac Hollowell, Filip Kral, and Victor Mete, all three of whom spent the bulk of this past season in the AHL. I would imagine that Lagesson won’t be the only AHL defenceman that Toronto signs in the coming days.
Lagesson was last with the Hurricanes organization where he spent the entirety of last season with the Chicago Wolves. In 65 AHL games played, he recorded 10 goals, 22 assists, and 32 points, but it wasn’t enough to get his team to the playoffs as they missed out by a single point.
Originally drafted 91st overall by the Oilers in 2014, Lagesson has appeared in 60 NHL games split between Edmonton and Montreal, where he amassed only seven assists in that span. The German defenceman is only 27 years old and comes with good size at 6’2″ and weighing 207 pounds, but I don’t expect him to be challenging for a roster spot with the Leafs anytime soon.
Thus far, it has been an underwhelming start to the free-agent frenzy for the Leafs. But there is still plenty of intriguing names left on the board so we shall see what transpires next.
Stats from Hockey-Reference.com and StatMuse.
