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Toronto Maple Leafs Jesper Lindgren signs with Finnish team HPK

By Chris Okrainetz

Apr 23, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Air Canada Centre is seen before the start of a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals in game six of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Air Canada Centre is seen before the start of a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals in game six of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Jesper Lindgren will play the next two seasons in Finland and that isn’t a bad thing for the Leafs when you consider their prospect situation.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Jesper Lindgren has signed a multi-year deal with Finnish team HPK, the team announced on Friday. The deal is for two years and will keep him in Finland until the summer of 2019, which is when the Leafs’ rights to him expires.

Drafted by the Leafs in 2015 at No. 95 overall, the 20-year-old defenceman has spent the last four years in Sweden playing for MODO in the Allsvenskan. He was on an ATO with the Toronto Marlies for the playoffs, but did not play.

Prior to joining the Marlies, Lindgren won the J20 championship with Allsvenskan and finished top 10 among defencemen for points. Although the majority of his playing time was in Sweden’s second tier league, his point total is still impressive.

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Considering how tough both the SHL and AHL would be for Lindgren, playing in the Liiga might not be a bad thing for him. Depending on how their roster is constructed and who returns, Lindgren could see more ice time. HPK made the playoffs last year, but lost in the quarterfinals, and they seem like a decent team on paper, although, I must admit, I’m not too familiar with the Finnish league.

Playing in Finland, instead of Sweden or Toronto, should work well for both Lindgren and the Leafs. For Lindgren, he should get an opportunity to play more with HPK and should continue to develop as a player because of it. For the Leafs, they not only get to see Lindgren develop as a player, they also extend their developmental footprint into Finland and now don’t have to worry about potentially finding a spot for Lindgren on the Marlies, which would have been tough considering Calle Rosen, Andreas Borgman and Rinat Valiev all figure to slot ahead of him.

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If everything goes well in Lindgren’s development, the Leafs could re-sign him in two years and find a spot to plug him into their lineup. Overall, it’s a win-win for both sides and it saves the Leafs from burning an ELC on a player who, by the sounds of it, would have a tough time cracking the Marlies lineup.

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