Confirmed with Link: Leafs sign Nick Abruzzese to a two-year ELC

[paulhiggins]

...Unfortunately tough guys that can keep pace cost you Tom Wilson/ Josh Anderson money

I would still like to have a couple tough guys to put out there when we have a big lead or if we're losing bad. Even if that's all they can do.

 

[cupcrazyman]

You can never have too many small players, Eh Dubas ?

 

[rojac]

Hope for a Bozak here.

Huh? Bozak was undrafted. Abruzzese was a Leafs pick.

 

[Burnie97]

Just for funsies, let's make Paul Marner's head explode and ask to give him #16.....

Serious note, great to see him in the fold and getting a taste of NHL/AHL action.

Keeping him, Knies, our 1st, and Topi were my biggest concern going into the Trade Deadline. Glad he's still part of our pipeline.

I hate seeing our picks thrive somewhere else......

The guys you mentioned forsure. Easy pass.

 

[Anthrax442]

Contract starts now per the tweet, so he'll join the Leafs/Marlies for the season.

meh

 

[Rude Dog]

Happy about this. Was a bit nervous he was going to go the way of some other ncaa players and wait for free agency. Dubas can make up for trading away picks if he can sign some other ncaa guys. Namely Meyers.

 

[Dave92]

That first 1 timer was nice, the rest of the video idk didn't see anything that screams future NHLer. Hopefully he continues to develop.

 

[cyris]

You can never have too many small players, Eh Dubas ?

Are you saying that we shouldn’t have signed our own prospect because of his size????
Maybe we should have used that pick on someone bigger who wouldnt have developed well enough to earn a contract.

Or maybe you’re just pointlessly using this thread to gripe about the size of the players Dubas has brought in even tho the previous prospect he signed was 6’8 245 and the next one he is going to sign will be 6’3. 215.

 

[IrishInOntario]

Excited for Abruzzese's future, but he's going to need some time to develop some man strength. At 5'9, 160lbs, he'd have to be careful not to get really hurt in a playoff game. Can you imagine him in that game vs Nashville last week. Yikes!

 

[ToneDog]

Excited for Abruzzese's future, but he's going to need some time to develop some man strength. At 5'9, 160lbs, he'd have to be careful not to get really hurt in a playoff game. Can you imagine him in that game vs Nashville last week. Yikes!

That game cost us Kase and Sandin. Kyper tongue in cheek asked how many Leafs would be left standing after a 7 game series like that.

 

[ToneDog]

You can never have too many small players, Eh Dubas ?

Gonna need somebody to replace Kerfoot when it is time to throw him overboard.

 

[nuck]

I don't think we can afford to get softer

Simmonds is a fighter who can score, he doesn't really hit much so not sure removing him makes the team softer. I would like to have him against the Bruins but I don't see him as really helping against the Florida clubs. He is not a 4th line energy guy and has never thrived with limited minutes. Of course Nick would have no physical game whatsoever so would really need to dangle to be of any use.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

Simmonds is a fighter who can score, he doesn't really hit much so not sure removing him makes the team softer. I would like to have him against the Bruins but I don't see him as really helping against the Florida clubs. He is not a 4th line energy guy and has never thrived with limited minutes. Of course Nick would have no physical game whatsoever so would really need to dangle to be of any use.

He is a fighter who can score every 30 games or so lol.

 

[Captain34]

A fighter that fights every 15 games or so and scores every 30 games or so. I love Simmer, but at this point in his NHL career, he's a borderline NHLer and definitely not a guy who you play every single game.

 

[Le Cobra]

A fighter that fights every 15 games or so and scores every 30 games or so. I love Simmer, but at this point in his NHL career, he's a borderline NHLer and definitely not a guy who you play every single game.

i think he is a good playmaker / passer/uses his body to create traffic in front of the net but cant score for beans

 

[Leaf Rocket]

He's our Connor McDavid ( I am only saying this for the lurkers that come here and make posts that are very questionable, quote them and paint us all the same).

I haven't watched his game so I have no scouting report on him at all, I look at his numbers and I see his playmaking and it's something JT can severely use. Look at how he is working with just some time with Marner and a bit of a change up.

 

[67Cup]

After a couple of years, I think we have to stop using the draft year weight figures of prospects. Abruzzese was listed at 5’9”, 160 lbs when he was drafted in 2019. Since he was 20 at the time, he probably hasn’t got any taller. But at 22, nearing 23, after three years in a US college weight program, does anyone think he is still 160 pounds? I would not be able to guess what he weighs now, but I would bet it is substantially more than 160.

 

[1specter]

After a couple of years, I think we have to stop using the draft year weight figures of prospects. Abruzzese was listed at 5’9”, 160 lbs when he was drafted in 2019. Since he was 20 at the time, he probably hasn’t got any taller. But at 22, nearing 23, after three years in a US college weight program, does anyone think he is still 160 pounds? I would not be able to guess what he weighs now, but I would bet it is substantially more than 160.

His NCAA page has him listed at 5'10, 175 lbs. Not huge by any means, but much bigger than when he was drafted obviously.

 

[zeke]

 

[Maplebeasts]

You can never have too many small players, Eh Dubas ?

Better small and skilled than tough, unskilled and dumb as bricks.

 

[riffle]

Abruzzese is with the big club the rest of the way.

 

[stickty111]

There is a good article on the Athletic by Kloke on Abruzzese. Abruzzese and Kerfoot skate together in the off season, and are probably familiar to Blackwell too.
Apparently Leafs tried to sign him during the stoppage when Harvard closed down sports in the pandemic, but Abruzzese wanted to come on his own terms and wanted to get bigger.

 

[WTFMAN99]

He was...thicker/sturdier than I thought he would be when I saw him at the Olympics.

He wasn't afraid of traffic and has some real nice skills, I am curious to see him in the NHL.

While I wouldn't want a ton of undersized players, if they play big and aren't afraid of traffic, I have no issue with having them on my team.

 

[inthe6ix]

Hope the Harvard kid plays tonight!

 

[riffle]

Hope the Harvard kid plays tonight!

That's gotta be awkward. Hitting the ice all alone out of college straight onto a moving train.

Would've loved to see someone skate by and welcome him.