The Nashville Predators have found some common ground with newcomer John Leonard, signing the restricted free agent forward to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will be worth $750K at the NHL level.
Leonard, 23, was recently acquired from the San Jose Sharks in a trade that saw Luke Kunin go the other way. He was eligible for arbitration this summer but did not file, likely due to the two sides being close on this new contract.
It will be interesting to see if the young forward can carve out a regular role with Nashville, or if he is destined to spend another year in the minor leagues. Through 58 NHL games to this point, he has scored four goals, recorded 15 points, and notably, taken just a single minor penalty. While that may not seem like a big deal, the Predators were far and away the most penalized team in the league last season, averaging more than 12.6 PIM a game. A good bit of that is due to their league-leading 59 fighting majors, but perhaps a player like Leonard could help offset that a bit given his history of staying out of the box (he has just six PIM in 47 minor league games as well).
The Predators’ lineup is by no means set at this point, with only nine forwards (including Kiefer Sherwood) signed to one-way contracts. There should be good competition for playing time in the bottom six, and Leonard is one of the players who could grab a regular role with a strong training camp. The fact that he is waiver-exempt probably doesn’t help his case, but costing just $750K against the cap will.
Granlund has his two linemates now in Sanford and Leonard. Whee. :/