Friday: The Maple Leafs have announced the deal, inking Grundstrom to a three-year deal.
Thursday: After originally being reported in early March that the Toronto Maple Leafs and second-round pick Carl Grundstrom had reached an agreement, Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that the two will announce a three-year entry-level contract shortly.
The Maple Leafs selected Grundstrom 57th-overall last summer and he made an immediate impact on his new Swedish team, moving from MODO to Frolunda this year. Registering 14 goals, Grundstrom scored the most by any player under 20 in the entire league. He also suited up for Sweden at the World Juniors, scoring seven points in seven games. Despite all the goal scoring, Grundstrom isn’t thought of as an elite offensive prospect. His play style is more of a physical grinding game, and can be an asset at both ends of the rink.
Grundstrom will only be 19 at the beginning of next season, but could still make his way over to the AHL if the Maple Leafs see fit. Because of his experience in professional leagues for the past three seasons, he could likely make an impact at the minor league level right away. Should the team decide to leave him in Europe for another season, he would have a good chance at another championship. Frolunda won it all in 2016, and was eliminated from the playoffs in the semi-finals this season. Brynas will take on HV71 tonight in game 6 of the final series.