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Leafs win race to land Russian free agent Alexander Barabanov
The Toronto Maple Leafs have landed another highly-coveted European free-agent prospect.
Alexander Barabanov, a seven-year KHL veteran and Olympic gold medalist from 2018, inked a one-year, entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
In excess of 20 teams expressed interest in the 25-year-old Russian winger, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports.
Barabanov will earn $925,000 for the 2020-21 season, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun confirms, adding to the stable of modest-earning forwards expected to have a reasonable impact for the top-heavy Maple Leafs. Having travelled a similar path, Ilya Mikheyev was signed to the same contract last summer and had a considerable impact in his rookie NHL season before suffering a serious wrist injury.
Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas confirmed keen interest in Barabanov on a conference call with reporters last week, saying “we’ll continue to pursue him the best we can.”
On that call, Dubas touted Barabanov as a strong winger with tremendous play-making ability, especially in pressure situations, with finish around the net. He noted that Barabanov isn’t the biggest prospect out there, but is able to protect and win pucks with his strength.
Barabanov didn’t manage to match his career 2018-19 season with SKA St. Petersburg this past year. He posted 11 goals and 20 points in 43 games after scoring 17 times and registering 46 points in 58 games the year prior.
Barabanov is listed as a right winger, and shoots left. While things could certainly change from a roster construction standpoint, the path of least resistance for Barabanov will come at left wing. The Leafs have Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen in the top nine at left wing, with Zach Hyman, Andreas Johnsson and perhaps prospect Nick Robertson competing for ice time on the left side.
Barabanov will be an unrestricted free agent when his entry-level contract with the Leafs expires.
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