Just when you thought the Toronto Marlies were done at the contract table, they’ve found a way to sneak yet another deal in. The team announced today that they’ve agreed to terms with defenceman Alex Gudbranson, signing him to a one-year, two-way (AHL/ECHL) contract.

Gudbranson was originally acquired on a loan basis by the organization this winter, coming in from the Iowa Wild to shore up a rather injury-ridden defensive core. However, the Orleans, Ontario native didn’t exactly get to play a ton of hockey, dressing in just four games for the team from mid-February on, scoring no points and taking a single penalty.

With the deal signed, the Marlies add to their core of right-handed defenceman, which currently consists of Justin Holl, Vincent LoVerde, Michael Paliotta, and now Gudbranson. The team could also have Alexey Marchenko and/or Timothy Liljegren coming down to join that depth chart, though neither are considered high probability transactions at the moment.

If I were a betting person, I wouldn’t expect to see much of him in the Toronto lineup next year; it’s much more likely that he’ll be a call-up option that spends his time with the Orlando Solar Bears. But hey, options are good to have, right?