Confirmed with Link: Habs sign Otto Leskinen to 2 year ELC

[Habs Halifax]

What? Is he a Fleury type because he was a minus too? What kind of analysis is thst?

Do you have anything constructive to say? If not, move on. It's an observation on two type of players who produce offensively as D man but were ranked near the bottom on their teams in +/-.

 

[417]

I thought he looked really good at the development camp...him and Cameron Lee I thought showed a lot of instincts and mobility back there.

Habs probably spent a lot of time scouting him given he played on Ikonen's team.

 

[Habs Halifax]

When your team is bad and young, the more you play the more you're exposed to have a worse +/-. this team was lead by an 18 and 19 year old (one of them being Texier) in points and Leskinen had 2nd highest ice time on his team. +/- ain't gonna look good in those situations unless you're some sorts of elite defender.

True, it's just an observation. I'm not going to drool over his offensive ability and ignore the important part of what a D man is suppose to do. He clearly needs to be paired up with someone reliable. It's just a first glance comment... Lets see how he looks on a new team in Laval next year. Doubt he cracks our NHL team.

 

[Habs Halifax]

The +/- stat may be a team thing. Last year with the same team he was a +7

+/- has a lot to do with a team thing. But where you rank on the team year to year means something. It's a good point you brought up cause his +7 was ranked 3rd best with defense man the year prior. Two guys above him were +13 and +17.

I feel comfortable saying he is not a shutdown type from what I can tell but is he terrible on D? Doubt it but we will see how he fits our depth chart.

 

[FrankMTL]

Leskinen is actually 1 1/2 years younger than Kaski who is turning 24 in September. At Leskinen's age, Kaski only had 16 points in 49 games. Both players broke out this year offensively. Who know how many points Leskinen could have scored in 2018-2019 in the Finnish League. Anyways, great signing as it's no risk and high reward.

 

[417]

True, it's just an observation. I'm not going to drool over his offensive ability and ignore the important part of what a D man is suppose to do. He clearly needs to be paired up with someone reliable. It's just a first glance comment... Lets see how he looks on a new team in Laval next year. Doubt he cracks our NHL team.

I think what a Dman is "supposed to do" in today's hockey has changed from what it's been traditionally.

For me at least, there's less emphasis on being able to defend down low - and more emphasis on being able to move the puck out of your zone, quickly, efficiently and with poise.

That's not to say that defending isn't important, it obviously is...but given how much opposing forecheckers have free reign to bare down on Dmen, having the ability to retrieve the puck, shake off a forechecker and send your team into the opponents zone with control of the puck is just as important IMO.

 

[Runner77]

Don’t know anything about this player but for whatever reason, I knew he’d check in at 5’11 lol

for the love of god, can we not find offensive guys north of 6’0......I hope his offensive game is that good

They needed to shore up their Finnish quota after ditching Niemi.

Is Leskinen the Habs's first undrafted prospect signing this year?

People in here wanted Kaski as their first choice of undrafted prospects out of Finland.

Edit: found some background info on Leskinen vs. Kaski, which I posted later in this thread.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I think what a Dman is "supposed to do" in today's hockey has changed from what it's been traditionally.

For me at least, there's less emphasis on being able to defend down low - and more emphasis on being able to move the puck out of your zone, quickly, efficiently and with poise.

That's not to say that defending isn't important, it obviously is...but given how much opposing forecheckers have free reign to bare down on Dmen, having the ability to retrieve the puck, shake off a forechecker and send your team into the opponents zone with control of the puck is just as important IMO.

True but there is a reason why Reilly fell out of the line-up as the season went along. He was not reliable in his own end. Mete was a well to start the year and sending him down to the AHL was a wake up call for him.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

I think what a Dman is "supposed to do" in today's hockey has changed from what it's been traditionally.

For me at least, there's less emphasis on being able to defend down low - and more emphasis on being able to move the puck out of your zone, quickly, efficiently and with poise.

That's not to say that defending isn't important, it obviously is...but given how much opposing forecheckers have free reign to bare down on Dmen, having the ability to retrieve the puck, shake off a forechecker and send your team into the opponents zone with control of the puck is just as important IMO.

Exactly it goes back to what Dave Tippett was saying over a decade ago.

 

[417]

True but there is a reason why Reilly fell out of the line-up as the season went along. He was not reliable in his own end. Mete was a well to start the year and sending him down to the AHL was a wake up call for him.

I think with Reilly it's not that he wasn't reliable in his own end.

It's that he was mistake prone with the puck on his stick...he was unpredictable, he'd blindly toss the puck up the middle of the ice to start a breakout.

He didn't produce enough points for the coaching staff to ignore his risky play with the puck.

 

[417]

Exactly it goes back to what Dave Tippett was saying over a decade ago.

Curious what that is now? Lol

Not familiar with it.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Curious what that is now? Lol

Not familiar with it.

"We had a player that was supposed to be a great, shut-down defenseman. He was supposedly the be-all, end-all of defensemen. But when you did a 10-game analysis of him, you found out he was defending all the time because he can’t move the puck.
"Then we had another guy, who supposedly couldn’t defend a lick. Well, he was defending only 20 percent of the time because he’s making good plays out of our end. He may not be the strongest defender, but he’s only doing it 20 percent of the time. So the equation works out better the other way. I ended up trading the other defenseman."

 

[NotProkofievian]

I think what a Dman is "supposed to do" in today's hockey has changed from what it's been traditionally.

For me at least, there's less emphasis on being able to defend down low - and more emphasis on being able to move the puck out of your zone, quickly, efficiently and with poise.

That's not to say that defending isn't important, it obviously is...but given how much opposing forecheckers have free reign to bare down on Dmen, having the ability to retrieve the puck, shake off a forechecker and send your team into the opponents zone with control of the puck is just as important IMO.

It is the most important thing for a defenceman. All breakouts start with the dman, if you can't get out of your zone, you will get scored on, and you cannot score. IMO, dmen should be renamed ''transitionmen.''

 

[Runner77]

Dobber updated Leskinen's profile.



Observations

May 2019 – 22-year-old free agent Leskinen has signed a two-year entry level contract with the Canadiens. Leskinen has average size (5-11, 187) but he’s a very good puck-moving defenseman who loves to join the rush and participate in the cycle game in the offensive zone. He’s a smooth skater who isn’t afraid to take risks to make offensive plays. He has played three full seasons at the Liiga level already but had his breakout season in 2018-2019. Leskinen led all defensemen on his team with eight goals and 31 points in 57 games. 31 points was also fourth-best on the low-scoring KalPa team and eighth best in the league among defensemen. Early in the season, he led his team in points for quite some time. He has a very good shot and he likes to use it a lot – his shot total was fifth-best in the league among defensemen. One cause for concern is that 17 of his points were scored on the power play where he received more ice time than any other player on his team (over three minutes per game).

Leskinen averaged almost 22 minutes of ice time per game but was only rarely used on the penalty kill. His numbers were very good because he was given the type of role that suits his strengths as an offensive defenseman. Leskinen needs another year or two to improve his defensive game before he’s ready to challenge for a spot on the NHL roster. But because of his skating ability and offensive tools, Leskinen offers a good amount of upside. If everything breaks perfectly, he could be a number four defenseman. But a more likely scenario is that he becomes a bottom-pair guy. - Jokke Nevalainen

Otto Leskinen

Hey, that "cause for concern" would be a welcome addition given the Habs's PP woes.

 

[jaffy27]

They needed to shore up their Finnish quota after ditching Niemi.

Is Leskinen the Habs's first UFA signing this year?

People in here wanted Kaski as their first choice of UFAs out of Finland. How does Leskinen compare?

Lol.....

Ikonen, Ylonen, Leskinen, Lehkonen, Armia, Kotkaniemi.......my money is on us drafting another Finn

Romanov the lone Russian lol


I’m thinking Leskinen, like these other UFA euro signings are a stop gap at the AHL level, lets the kids in the AHL develop properly while surrounded by players who have pro experience. And if he pans out at the NHL level, then hey, I give you the true “diamond in the rough” lol

 

[jaffy27]

Dobber updated Leskinen's profile.



Observations

May 2019 – 22-year-old free agent Leskinen has signed a two-year entry level contract with the Canadiens. Leskinen has average size (5-11, 187) but he’s a very good puck-moving defenseman who loves to join the rush and participate in the cycle game in the offensive zone. He’s a smooth skater who isn’t afraid to take risks to make offensive plays. He has played three full seasons at the Liiga level already but had his breakout season in 2018-2019. Leskinen led all defensemen on his team with eight goals and 31 points in 57 games. 31 points was also fourth-best on the low-scoring KalPa team and eighth best in the league among defensemen. Early in the season, he led his team in points for quite some time. He has a very good shot and he likes to use it a lot – his shot total was fifth-best in the league among defensemen. One cause for concern is that 17 of his points were scored on the power play where he received more ice time than any other player on his team (over three minutes per game).

Leskinen averaged almost 22 minutes of ice time per game but was only rarely used on the penalty kill. His numbers were very good because he was given the type of role that suits his strengths as an offensive defenseman. Leskinen needs another year or two to improve his defensive game before he’s ready to challenge for a spot on the NHL roster. But because of his skating ability and offensive tools, Leskinen offers a good amount of upside. If everything breaks perfectly, he could be a number four defenseman. But a more likely scenario is that he becomes a bottom-pair guy. - Jokke Nevalainen

Otto Leskinen

Hey, that "cause for concern" would be a welcome addition given the Habs's PP woes.

Nice find!!

 

[Runner77]

I was curious how Leskinen compared to Kaski. Dobber says this about Kaski:

Offensive defenseman with great size. Loves to join the rush and create offense. Has a great shot and likes to use it frequently. Needs to work on his defensive game and avoid unnecessary risks. ...

Kaski finished the season with 19 goals and 51 points in 59 games. He led the league in goals and points by a defenseman, and his points total was good enough for sixth on the league among all players. He also led the league in shots. Only two defenseman have had a higher points total in the history of the Finnish Liiga. ...

He’s an offensive defenseman who loves to join the rush. He has a great shot, he likes to use it a lot, and he shoots from the right side which is always valuable. He’s especially dangerous on the power play where his shot, vision and passing skills get to truly shine. At 6-foot-3, Kaski has great size as well but he’s not very physical. One great part about his game is that he doesn’t take a lot of penalties.

Oliwer Kaski

 

[Runner77]

 

[WeThreeKings]

Heinola to Habs at 15 confirmed.

Tea leaves.

 

[Runner77]

Lol.....

Ikonen, Ylonen, Leskinen, Lehkonen, Armia, Kotkaniemi.......my money is on us drafting another Finn

Romanov the lone Russian lol


I’m thinking Leskinen, like these other UFA euro signings are a stop gap at the AHL level, lets the kids in the AHL develop properly while surrounded by players who have pro experience. And if he pans out at the NHL level, then hey, I give you the true “diamond in the rough” lol

Finally, that "diamond in the rough" expression has some application.

Has nice offensive upside. Wish they could have nabbed Kaski too. Thems are the breaks.

 

[Toene]

Do you have anything constructive to say? If not, move on. It's an observation on two type of players who produce offensively as D man but were ranked near the bottom on their teams in +/-.

When you say "type" it refers to style of play. Cant really evaluate style of play if you only pull up a 2-year sample of plus-minus. It's like saying Deslauriers has same hits per game than Ovi so they are similar type (fictional stat btw I have no idea)

 

[NotProkofievian]

Heinola to Habs at 15 confirmed.

Tea leaves.

Tea leaves > tiers.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Tea leaves > tiers.

Teir leaves

 

[Archijerej]

It is the most important thing for a defenceman. All breakouts start with the dman, if you can't get out of your zone, you will get scored on, and you cannot score. IMO, dmen should be renamed ''transitionmen.''

But what about those situations when you HAVE to defend, no matter how good you are moving the puck up ice. After all, you cannot keep a skilled, thinking and hard working opponent from possessing the puck all the time. Should we just ignore if a defender is useless at actually defending? Both qualities are equally important IMO.

 

[jaffy27]

Finally, that "diamond in the rough" expression has some application.

Has nice offensive upside. Wish they could have nabbed Kaski too. Thems are the breaks.

Excuse my ignorance, but where did he sign?