Leafs sign Martin Marincin

The Leafs have signed Martin Marincin to a one-year contract, per the team, and Chris Johnston reports the deal is worth $700,000.

Marincin was brought in a couple weeks ago when the Leafs dealt a fourth-round pick and Brad Ross to the Oilers in exchange for the 23-year-old blue liner.

The Leafs’ list of defencemen – especially of the bottom pairing variety – is starting to get busy. Marincin is expected to make a push to get into the top four, but Hunwick, Polak, Robidas and Brennan are also back there trying to get ice time. However, with the Leafs being rumored to be shopping Polak for the last little while, it would almost be a surprise to see him in the mix opening night.

As for the money and term, the Leafs again go with the no-risk cheap option to see what Marincin can bring this season, and he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. The level of flexibility they’ve managed to maintain for next offseason is almost staggering.

Marincin hasn’t been a point-producer (he only registered 5 in 41 games this past season) but he’s still quite young and has been known for his ability to prevent zone entries, which is no doubt what caught the Leafs’ attention.

Our own Jon Steitzer had a more in-depth rundown of Marincin’s game when he first looked into what he might cost going forward. You can read all about him here.