When the Maple Leafs drafted Nicolas Mattinen in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, then-Leafs assistant general manager Mark Hunter preached patience.
“I feel good about his upside. He’s a big, strong kid that just needs a little bit of time, of course,” Hunter said of Mattinen that June.
Few could have anticipated just how much time would pass before the Leafs finally gave the 6-foot-5 right-shot defenceman his shot.
In the nearly eight years since the 2016 NHL Draft, 116 of the 211 players drafted have played an NHL game. But finally, and also strangely on Sunday, the Leafs signed Mattinen to a one-year, two-way deal with an AAV of $775,000 beginning next season.
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