Confirmed with Link: Leafs sign C/LW Miro Aaltonen to an ELC

[SEER]

Great job SEER. Done well with video scouting.

Much appreciated, Duke.. I sort of feel like an unpaid scout, sometimes.. LOL!

I would like it if we can retain Boyle and have a 4th line of martin Boyle aaltonen.
Jvr bozak going to get help on the backend (plus some kid called Dermott ) and insert kapanen. We might not score as many, or we might, but we will be much harder to score against and play against.

To be honest.., I doubt that Aaltonen will be on 4th line for any great amount of time.. I could easily see Kapanen-Aaltonen-Nylander as a very strong line..

^^I think Kapanen could step in and have a 20 goal season. Aaltonen will be pretty good too.

Agreed..

 

[Bluelines]

In terms of defensive play ,where would he fit in among our young centers? (Matthews, Mitch, Nylander, Miro)

Matthews would be our best, then would you say Miro is 2nd?

 

[Gary Nylund]

That is very encouraging.
We will be a very tough team next year!

Babcock said something in an interview the other day that I've been think about ever since the 2015 draft (paraphrasing) - a few years from now, training camp is going to very interesting, this is going to be a tough team to make. Can you imagine the competition for roster spots a couple of years from now?

 

[GordieHoweHatTrick]

23 years old (few months older than Sosh), you would think he would have been assured he'll be given a fair shot at training camp to make the Leafs.

Lots of LW competition next year with Leivo, Rychel, Leipsic, Johnsson, etc.

Have to figure that someone will be shipped out, our part of a bigger move this summer.

That's some competition (sarcasm)

Our LW depth probably helped lure him.

JvR
Komarov
Martin
Leivo
Leipsic
Johnsson

 

[SEER]

In terms of defensive play ,where would he fit in among our young centers? (Matthews, Mitch, Nylander, Miro)

Matthews would be our best, then would you say Miro is 2nd?[/QUOTE]

Yes.., definitely.. (at the moment, of course)

I would really like to see a game with the line-up I listed above..
Kapanen-Aaltonen-Nylander

 

[Barilko14]

That's some competition (sarcasm)

Our LW depth probably helped lure him.

JvR
Komarov
Martin
Leivo
Leipsic
Johnsson

Competing with 4 NHLers (depending what happens to JVR) and 3 fringe NHLers (I've included Rychel) isn't the easiest path to securing an NHL job. I'm sure there would be plenty of teams that would offer an easier road.

Considering a guy like Brandon Kozun never had an AHL season as good as Leipsic is currently having, and his best AHL seasons (points wise) are pretty comparable to what Rychel and Johnsson have done this year (both offer more than just pts), and Kozun is lighting up the KHL this year 56 pts in 59 games - I don't think it's a given that Aaltonen is ahead of any of the guys I listed.

We lack 1st line talent on LW after JVR, but to say we don't have depth isn't accurate.

 

[saltming]

To be honest.., I doubt that Aaltonen will be on 4th line for any great amount of time.. I could easily see Kapanen-Aaltonen-Nylander as a very strong line.. .

I will be more than ok with that.

 

[saltming]

Babcock said something in an interview the other day that I've been think about ever since the 2015 draft (paraphrasing) - a few years from now, training camp is going to very interesting, this is going to be a tough team to make. Can you imagine the competition for roster spots a couple of years from now?

That same speech goes through my mind everytime I look at the prospect pool!
That building depth might be the thing I like most about what's going on now vs the old regimes.

 

[taurine330]

At some point we might need to start trading players after their ELCs run out

 

[SeaOfBlue]

At some point we might need to start trading players after their ELCs run out

Probably, but that will be okay. It'll suck to lose someone good, but at the same time, we have so many new guys who can step right in I doubt we will be sobbing for long.

Plus our scouting and development teams seem to have taken a step forward. Keefe is back to his winning ways now that he has elite players to use again.

 

[SEER]

Someone asked me earlier, when I suggested a line of Kapanen-Aaltonen-Nylander..,
if he played Center, recently.. This pic is from the last month...

 

[saltming]

Someone asked me earlier, when I suggested a line of Kapanen-Aaltonen-Nylander..,
if he played Center, recently.. This pic is from the last month...

That's a good faceoff stance. Good crouch, nice and low.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

A couple comments

One reason the Marlies are winning is that they now have true centres on the team. Injuries at the centre position really weakened the team.
I don't know if Alto will ever be an NHLer. He did see opportunity as a Leaf. But like Zaitsev there was another reason to come to Toronto. To live in a major league city. Marlies are scouted often because NHL scouts can easier scout the games without taking a bus to smaller cities.
The change to be seen IMO is important to minor leaguers. And if you to go between the NHL/AHL, you and your family aren't changing accommodations.

The Leafs have "depth" especially on the wings. Whether these players are good enough to be NHLer, well that is the question the Leafs and all clubs have with prospects. To me the only sure NHLers that the Leafs have with Marlies are Kapanen and Dermot.

 

[Mugzy97]

That's a good faceoff stance. Good crouch, nice and low.

Yep he prolly won that draw

 

[Walshy7]

Someone asked me earlier, when I suggested a line of Kapanen-Aaltonen-Nylander..,
if he played Center, recently.. This pic is from the last month...

this doesnt tell anything about if he plays c or not. The C could of been thrown out of that particular faceoff. Even if he played C nylander has far more experience as a north american C.

 

[SEER]

this doesnt tell anything about if he plays c or not. The C could of been thrown out of that particular faceoff. Even if he played C nylander has far more experience as a north american C.

Watch the video I made for him.. and refer to his stats..

 

[Menzinger]

I do wonder if this Signing was an insurance move to give the team some extra C depth if the team were to move Bozak this summer...

 

[bonjovi0308]

Heard the world cup tournament has been a total disaster for him?

 

[Rick74*]

My guess is marlies for now to replace some outgoing players

 

[DopeyFish]

Heard the world cup tournament has been a total disaster for him?

It was a total disaster for Finland in general

 

[deletethis]

Heard the world cup tournament has been a total disaster for him?

Not every European FA signing is going to turn out to be a gem.

The worst impact is a contract on the 50 limit. And most likely he'd return to the KHL if he is demoted to the Marlies.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Looked fairly useless in the 2 games I saw him which doesn't say much, the reality is it's a small sample size.

 

[McMatthews]

Aaltonen had a rough WC.

He was the 5th youngest player on Finland and was their spare forward.

The fact that he was even at the WC for Finland was impressive.

Hopefully he has a good summer and does well with the Marlies.

 

[LeafChief]

Not every European FA signing is going to turn out to be a gem.

The worst impact is a contract on the 50 limit. And most likely he'd return to the KHL if he is demoted to the Marlies.

Do we get the contract spot back if that's the case?

 

[Prins Filip]

Aaltonen scored less points under current coach of Finland Marjamäki a season ago in FEL, than this season in KHL. His system just does not suit him too well, when the team is forced to play defensive game. I would not judge him based on this WHC, as his play in KHL was just way better than his WHC play indicated.