Sabres Sign Ville Leino to Six Year Contract

The Buffalo Sabres have announced that they have signed left wing Ville Leino to a six-year contract worth $27 million. The deal will average out to $4.5 million per season. In 81 games last season with the Philadelphia Flyers, he had 19 goals and 34 assists for 53 points. Not a bad signing for the Sabres, as Leino is quickly becoming a quality top-six forward at the NHL level. He's a decent playmaker and puckhandler, has good passing skills, has some versatility, and brings plenty of offensive depth to the team. Look for him to play on Buffalo's second line next season.

Red Wings Trade Leino to Flyers for Tollefsen

The Detroit Red Wings announced today that they have traded left wing Ville Leino to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a fifth round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft. Tollefsen was then immediately placed on waivers where he can be claimed by any team before noon on Sunday. He will likely be sent to the Red Wings' AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids in he clears waivers. The move was orchestrated to clear salary cap space for the Red Wings, who have a number of players close to returning from injuries, including Johan Franzen. In 42 games with the Red Wings this season, Leino has four goals and three assists for seven points and was a frequent healthy scratch in recent games. Tollefsen has two assists and 23 penalty minutes in 18 games with the Flyers this season. He missed 16 games earlier in the season with a concussion and 14 games more recently with a sprained left MCL. This is really just a cost-cutting trade by the Red Wings. If they had tried to send Leino to the minors, he would have had to pass through waivers and likely would have been claimed by another team, therefore, they would have lost him for nothing. Leino has the potential to become a top-six forward in the league, but could not find his scoring touch with the Red Wings this season. If the Flyers give him a chance, he could be a decent impact player down the road. Tollefsen gives the Red Wings a tough, physical seventh defenseman, but likely won't play very many games with the team given their lack of salary cap space. If Tollefsen does play any games with the team, it will be to fill in for an injured defenseman. As for the fifth round draft pick the Red Wings received, they have had a lot of success in the past with drafting high-caliber players in the later rounds, so this pick could hold some promise for the team, but that remains to be seen.

Red Wings Re-Sign Ville Leino to Two-Year Contract

The Detroit Red Wings locked up one of their top prospects on Monday by re-signing left wing Ville Leino to a two-year contract worth $1.6 million. The deal averages out to $800,000 per season. In 13 games last season with the Red Wings, his first in the NHL, Leino scored five goals and four assists for nine points. He also appeared in 57 games last season with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids, scoring 15 goals and 31 assists for 46 points. This is an excellent signing for the Red Wings, as Leino showed lots of offensive promise last season. He has good puck and stick handling skills and a very effective playmaker. Leino will likely become a top-six forward with the Red Wings, giving them another very gifted forward to add to their already very talented team.