Leafs sign Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman to ELCs

Looks like we’re going to have to get Calle a new hat. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that they’ve signed Swedish skaters Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman to two-year entry-level contracts.

The speculation about a deal like this happening has surrounded Rosen for several weeks now, to the point where the 23-year-old was already pencilled into everyone’s depth charts as a foregone conclusion. Said gossip was for good reason, too; Rosen was arguably the best defenceman on the first overall Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL this year, and he may still have a bit of wiggle room to grow. The 21-year-old Borgman, on the other hand, was a bit of a surprise; his team announced that he was heading to the NHL earlier today, but didn’t name the team.

Borgman is a couple of years younger than Rosen is at 21, but that makes things all the more exciting for Leafs fans. That means he has a few years left on his development curve, and if his year with HV71 is any indication, there might be something to him. A left-handed shot standing at 6’0, 205 lbs, Borman scored 5 goals and 10 assists in in 45 games in the regular season, before going on a tear in the SHL playoffs, scoring two goals and eight assists in 14 games while leading his team to an SHL championship.

For his efforts, Borgman was named rookie of the year in the SHL. Notable former rookies of the year in this century include Toronto’s very own Andreas Johnsson (2014), Johan Larsson (Buffalo, 2012),  Mattias Ekholm (Nashville, 2011), Jacob Markstrom (Vancouver, 2010), Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay, 2009), Patric Hornqvist (Pittsburgh, 2007), Nicklas Backstrom (Washington, 2006), Loui Eriksson (Vancouver, 2004), Tobias Enstrom (Winnipeg, 2003), and Henrik Zetterberg (Detroit, 2001).

There is no word yet on their cap hits, though the fact that they received entry level deals would suggest that they’ll be under a million dollars and that they likely have a ton of potential bonuses attached. In the short term, I’d expect them both to be Toronto Marlies next season, though strong training camps could change that.