Acquired back in the Dion Phaneuf trade, Tobias Lindberg‘s tenure as a Toronto Maple Leaf has been largely up and down. After his first full year in the Leafs organization, Lindberg needs a big 2017-18 to put himself back in Toronto’s plans.
Toronto Maple Leafs Roster Preview, 50-in-50: Tobias Lindberg
On February 9, 2016, Lindberg was acquired by the Maple Leafs along with Milan Michalek, Jared Cowen, Colin Greening, and a second-round draft pick in exchange for Dion Phaneuf, Cody Donaghey, Matt Frattin, Ryan Rupert, and Casey Bailey.
Coming over from the lowly Binghamton Senators, Lindberg’s production dropped on the much deeper Toronto Marlies. In 22 games at the end of the 2015-16 season, the native of Stockholm recorded 12 points. He appeared in six games with the Leafs at the end of the year, scoring two assists.
Heading into the 2016-17 season, Lindberg was looking to improve on his production with the Marlies. Very deep on the wings, Lindberg needed to impress in limited action. However, he struggled mightily when he did receive minutes. In 44 games, the 22-year old scored just six goals and 16 points.
The Marlies strength was their depth on the wings, especially with the additions of Kerby Rychel, Andreas Johnsson, Seth Griffith, Trevor Moore, Dmytro Timashov, and later in the season, Mike Sislo. Tobias Lindberg simply found himself on the outside looking in on most nights. When he did find himself in the lineup, he was often on the fourth line in a minor role.
Profile (via EliteProspects)
Age: 22
Position: RW/LW
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 216 lbs
NHL Draft: Fourth Round, 102nd Overall in 2013 by Ottawa
Contract (via CapFriendly)
Tobias Lindberg is entering the final year of his entry level contract, originally signed with the Senators back in 2015. He receives a base salary of $650,000, as well as a signing bonus of $85,000 to put his total salary at $735,000.
Although his total salary is $735,000, his cap hit is $693,333. If he were to play in the NHL, he could earn performances bonuses up to $115,000. What is much more likely is for Lindberg to spend another year in the AHL, where he will make $70,000.
2017-18 Season
Unless Tobias Lindberg’s play dramatically improves, the 2017-18 season could very well be his last in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ system. With a log jam of wingers throughout the organization and more on the way, Lindberg is simply being passed on the depth chart by too many players.
The reason for making the Dion Phaneuf trade was to get rid of long term cap space, on the Maple Leafs’ end at least. The acquisition of a second-round draft pick, which turned into Eemeli Rasanen, as well as Lindberg, were just added bonuses. If they ever made the Leafs in a regular capacity, great, if not, nothing was lost.
Although some were intrigued by the former Oshawa General upon arrival in Toronto, his regression statistically and inability to get in the lineup over professional rookies in Trevor Moore and Dmytro Timashov is troubling. Now 22, Lindberg would need a very unexpected year in scoring to put himself back on the map.
Tobias Lindberg will once again be a depth piece on the Marlies in 2017-18. There are even more wingers entering the fray, including Martins Dzierkals, Jeremy Bracco, and J.J. Piccinich, while Brendan Leipsic is the only lineup regular guaranteed to be gone. Although the likes of Kerby Rychel and Kasperi Kapanen could be elsewhere in 2017-18, it once again seems to be a situation where Lindberg often finds himself on the outside looking in.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
