Finnish defenseman Mikko Lehtonen had quite the first season in the KHL where he led all blueliners in scoring. That was enough to generate some NHL interest as his club team in Jokerit announced that they and Lehtonen have mutually agreed to terminate his contract to allow him to sign in the NHL for next season.
Wherever he signs, Lehtonen will be continuing his recent nomadic journey. In 2016-17, he spent most of the year in the Finnish SM-liiga before getting released to play in the SHL. The following year, he went back to Finland before returning to the SHL in 2018-19. Of course, he went back to Finland for this season but played in a different league.
The 26-year-old (not to be confused with the former Boston prospect who shares the same name) had never really been a prolific offensive player before this season; his career high in points heading into the year was 29 set two years ago in the SM-liiga. However, he picked up 17 goals and 32 assists in 60 regular season games while adding four points in six playoff contests to set new bests across the board and really get him on the NHL radar.
Given the year he just had, he may very well be able to land some achievable incentives as there should be a fair amount of interest in his services. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox reports that the Canadiens, Devils, and Kings are among the teams that will be going after him.
Lehtonen will be restricted to signing a one-year, entry-level contract; while North American plays are exempt from the entry-level system at 25, Europeans must be 28 before being exempted from there. That means his maximum salary (including signing bonus) will be capped at $925K although he will be eligible for performance bonuses in his deal.
NYR
apparently not