After playing just 12 games for the Toronto Marlies last season, it appears as though Kalle Kossila may not return. The veteran minor-league forward has been loaned to EHC Red Bull Munchen in the DEL today, without any indication of whether or not he’ll be back for training camp in North America.
The 27-year-old Kossila is on the second season of a two-year deal he signed with the Maple Leafs in 2019 and is due to earn a one-way salary of $700K. Signed along with several other veteran forwards to provide some depth for the organization, he suffered what was believed to be a concussion in last year’s training camp and missed a huge chunk of the season. It was eventually diagnosed as a migraine problem and he scored six points in just 12 appearances for the Marlies.
Now, apparently healthy enough to be loaned out to the DEL, Kossila will try to get his career back on track. The timing of the loan is interesting given the recent news that the NHL could be back training as soon as January, but perhaps this is just to get a bit of a head start. An undrafted signing out of St. Cloud State, the undersized forward has always been an excellent playmaker at the minor league level, recording 147 points in 182 AHL games. His NHL games haven’t gone quite as smoothly, with only three career points in 19 appearances.