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Prospect Info: Mikko Lehtonen

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zeke said:
Showed me nothing so far. Nowhere near as dynamic as he looked overseas.

BUT he has plenty of time to change that impression and it could just be nerves/caution.
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No one is going to look dynamic when they get a season high of 13 minutes, especially that position. A guy coming off the bench cold isn't going to be leading the breakout with swagger like a prime Kaberle or unleashing a bomb shot when he gets a few seconds on the PP with Matthews, Marner and friends waiting for the pass, but it's obvious he has National Hockey League skills.
 
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The Best Leafs Ever said:
Best D on our team, he is the only one that doesn't treat a puck like a ticking time bomb.
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Keefe clearly disagrees - he's last among Leafs dmen in both total TOI, and average TOI/GP. He's also last among Leafs dmen in xGF%, and most other advanced stats, despite receiving softer minutes.

This isn't a criticism of him - he's brand new to the league, still adjusting, and I think he looks decent out there. But he's nowhere remotely close to the best D on the team. Rielly/Brodie/Muzzin/Holl are the clear top 4, and Dermott vs. Bogo vs. Lehtonen, that's arguable but personally I'd put Lehtonen last.
 
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hasn't won a spot yet but he needs more of a chance. Bogosian and Dermott haven't been good enough so far to justify him sitting this much.
 
ponder said:
Keefe clearly disagrees - he's last among Leads dmen in both total TOI, and average TOI/GP. He's also last among Leafs dmen in xGF%, and most other advanced stats, despite receiving softer minutes.

This isn't a criticism of him - he's brand new to the league, still adjusting, and I think he looks decent out there. But he's nowhere remotely close to the best D on the team. Rielly/Brodie/Muzzin/Holl are the clear top 4, and Dermott vs. Bogo vs. Lehtonen, that's arguable but personally I'd put Lehtonen last.
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I should have been more clear, best D in terms of puck handling and making good decisions in our zone. He is pretty good and makes safe plays.

Your point still stands in terms that he is still too green for the NHL.
 
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The Best Leafs Ever said:
I should have been more clear, best D in terms of puck handling and making good decisions in our zone. He is pretty good and makes safe plays.

Your point still stands in terms that he is still too green for the NHL.
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Fair enough, that's definitely a strength of his from the limited bits of ice time we've seen from him so far. Though I do think Rielly, Brodie and Dermott are all talented, confident and smart puck handlers too, we just have a tendency to have higher expectations for guys who've been around longer, and judge them more harshly as a result (Rielly especially).
 
Lehtonen is laying down a good foundation right now. He’s playing a nice simple game and staying safe. That looks like his frame of mind for the game right now. If something jumps right off the page opening he goes for it a couple times. He’s sitting back and learning,keeping it simple. We know he has some superior wheels when he gets going. Should be fun when his confidence cuts loose.
 
If I've understood correct how Lehtonen has performed, it seems like what I feared is reality. Mikko can do what he is good at with the puck in neutral and offensive zone. His abilities make him a solid powerplay quarterback even in the NHL.

BUT.

You could see his defensive zone devensive playing being the question mark in his transition to NHL. You could see this in KHL as well. He was playing safe and avoiding mistakes covering his own player passively. Didn't have nearly the same defensive hockey IQ to recognise plays and or make right decisions whether to be agressive on the player or the stick. Not physical enough to end dumb-chase situations with his body and needed a more devensive d to fight net battles.

I've watched Mikko's NHL games in January and in almost all of them he was in serious trouble in his own zone losing puck battles, making constant wrong decions on positioning and losing his man. Looked real bad from a point of view where he is supposed to be a 2nd or 3rd pair regular player. The speed of play and physical demands on 1-1 battles seems to take a lot more time to learn than most hockey fans here in Finland hoped to see.

I still hope he makes it. Mikko is a humble personality who is eager to learn. He has developed his career on a slow but steady base and he has his best years to come. He would get his pay-check in the KHL when he wants it, and I have huge respect for him for chasing the dream of playing on the highest level of hockey. His ambition is something to apreciate too, signing with Toronto was more than a bold move considering all the facts that make Toronto a demanding place to play hockey as a player who has something to prove.
 
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Volcanologist said:
Unfortunately for Lehtonen, Holl Dermott and Bogosian have all been good. There's simply no opportunity to put him in the lineup.
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I agree in general, but last night was a good opportunity IMO. B2B with travel, 4th in 6 nights. As great as Bogo has been, I wouldn't have minded giving him a breather given his extensive injury history.
 
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Timing is just terrible for Lehtonen in NHL this season on Leafs ... hope he can get some small rinks games in AHL this season so he can develop his small ice NHL defensive game ... or minimum he stays with us on taxi rest of season in case of injury and/or rest games ... but we still need to acquire a VET defender for injuries for a playoff run
 
Volcanologist said:
Unfortunately for Lehtonen, Holl Dermott and Bogosian have all been good. There's simply no opportunity to put him in the lineup.
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Definitely. Performance and health have worked in favour of the Leafs on the blueline thus far this season.
 
I wonder if Lehtonen will be someone that Dubas does a Leivo-style solid for and deals him to a team that will let him play. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer to have him if we need him, but also don't want future udfa's to think twice about signing here.
 
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Hard to evaluate, I haven't noticed him 5 on 5 when he has played, which is a good thing.

I do think he could run the 1st PP unit in his sleep though. Problem is at ES Dermott/Bogosian have been lights out this season. If we further our divisional lead I would like to see some rotation on the back end.
 
Would really serve himself well to skate with the Marlies for a couple weeks. Get in some games, get some PP.

Show the Leafs what he has.
 
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Its honestly a gamble. Dermott to me has shown that he is a bit more aware defensively and more safe. Lehtonen is also good defensively but he is creative sometimes and to me has much more offensive potential as compared to Dermott.

Sheldon has opted for the safe option but I dont think Lehtonen is a bad player at all personally. I think Lehtonen could easily grow into a top 4 defenseman on other teams similar to a faster Tyson Barrie.
 
Randy Randerson said:
I wonder if Lehtonen will be someone that Dubas does a Leivo-style solid for and deals him to a team that will let him play. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer to have him if we need him, but also don't want futurm he wile udfa's to think twice about signing here.
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With us probably losing Dermot In the expansion Lehtonen will be signed after the draft.
 
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Put him on the Marlies play him for like 28 mins in all situations. Not sure how else you fast track that part of his game on the taxi squad
 
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