Article content TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs have added depth to their forward ranks with the addition of Tyler Ennis. The 28-year-old Edmonton native has signed a one-year, US$650,000 deal with the club. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Maple Leafs sign forward Tyler Ennis Back to video The Minnesota Wild bought out the final year of Ennis’ contract last month. Minnesota acquired Ennis in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres last summer. He had eight goals and 14 assists in 73 games and played in just one of the Wild’s five playoff games. Ennis has 105 goals and 153 assists for 258 points in 492 NHL regular-season games. He was a first-round pick of the Sabres (26th overall) in the 2008 NHL draft. Ennis won gold medals with Canada at the 2009 world junior championship and 2015 world championship.<doc-sep>The Leafs announced today that they have signed LW Tyler Ennis to a one-year contract. The @MapleLeafs have signed forward Tyler Ennis to a one-year contract worth $650,000. #TMLtalk — Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) July 6, 2018 Ennis is coming off a year with the Minnesota Wild, who just bought out his contract. Ennis’ cap hit is nearly $4M less than it was last season, which gives you some idea of how his production has gone. Still only 28 years old, Ennis has declined from a few good seasons with the Buffalo Sabres from 2012-15, where he produced at a 20+ goal/40+ point pace. The league is a tough place for smaller forwards who don’t score, and after a couple of injury-riddled years, Ennis produced 8G/14A/22P in 73 GP last season, hence the buyout. Ennis is an interesting potential fit on the fourth line, if it comes to that, or in the AHL. He actually did play centre at one point with Buffalo, although he’s been on wing recently. He’s a sneaky forward with some bona fide offensive talent, but his listed size is about the same as recent featherweight draftee Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, and the word from those who watch him is that he’s not really a checking player as a consequence. Stack on some injuries and you have a recipe for a very cheap deal. We don’t yet have word whether it’s a two-way contract, but as far as we’re concerned it doesn’t matter; the cap hit is totally buryable in the AHL if it should come to that. Ennis isn’t going to light the world on fire, but if you like the idea of some offensive spark, the fact remains that he has a considerable amount of scoring talent and is still on the youthful side of 30. A good camp might land him in the lineup, and he would be an interesting choice if so. See what Mike Babcock has to say about him, though; like we said, he’s not exactly a classic checking forward. This goal is dope, for what it’s worth.<doc-sep>ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 17: Tyler Ennis #63 of the Minnesota Wild skates with the puck against the Winnipeg Jets in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Xcel Energy Center on April 17, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) Nothing spices up a Friday afternoon quite like a Twitter notification from the Toronto Maple Leafs PR account. Solidifying their forward depth, the Leafs signed winger and former Buffalo Sabre, Tyler Ennis. At only one year in length, Ennis’ deal carries with it a cap hit of $650,000, league minimum. The @MapleLeafs have signed forward Tyler Ennis to a one-year contract worth $650,000. #TMLtalk — Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) July 6, 2018 Yesterday, while breaking down available forward options the Leafs could target for depth, Ennis’ name was among the three mentioned. The undersized winger has certainly endured his fair share of struggles in recent years. Struggles of which are highlighted by a combination of repeated bouts with concussions and groin issues. Finishing 2017-18 with a point total of just 22 – his highest in 4 years – Ennis appears lightyears removed from his 20-goal days in Buffalo. Although, diving deeper into his numbers hints toward a solid contributor buried under the box scores. If put in the circumstances most conducive to his success, which remains an ‘if’ at this time, Ennis could very well thrive as a Leaf. Here’s why. Sheltered Minutes Even prior to signing John Tavares, the Leafs found themselves in a position which allowed them to shelter their fourth line without any significant consequence. It would indeed take some juggling, but it could be done. With a centre corps now featuring the likes of Tavares, Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri, it’s a whole different story. For Ennis, this is good news. Especially when contrasting his prior usage. Dating back to his most successful stint as a Sabre, Ennis never received minutes sheltered to a noticeable degree. Between the 2012-13 and 2014-15 seasons, where his average point production was highest, roughly 51% of his shifts started in the defensive zone. Obviously, zone starts are just one metric used to decipher the difficulty level of a players’ minutes. Still, it’s important to note that Ennis produced to his highest level all while over half his shifts began 200 feet from the opposing net. In Toronto, he won’t be forced to repeat such success. Injuries have cost him a step or two, but the gift of regularly lining up in the offensive zone will inevitably endow a positive impact on his production. Furthermore, handling the various top opposing assignments will likely be a responsibility exclusive to the top-nine. With the real work taken care of, Ennis can feast on the weakest his opponents have to offer. Linemates As a member of the Minnesota Wild last season, Ennis spent the majority of his playing time alongside Matt Cullen. It didn’t go well. In over 294 minutes of even strength together, the pair culminated in a CF/60 of 45.83%. Yeah, not good. When separated, however, the numbers tell a different story. Free from Cullen, Ennis’ ability to drive possession became heightened, with his CF/60 immediately elevating to 47.23%. Without Ennis, Cullen’s drastically dipped, bottoming out at a dreadful 37.59%. It’s pretty clear who was doing the dragging. As a Leaf, Ennis now finds himself surrounded by a different, namely higher, calibre of teammates. Assuming this is the last of Dubas’ NHL signings, Ennis is set to spend the bulk of his time alongside Par Lindholm and Connor Brown. While Lindholm remains a mystery, Brown is a proven 20-goal scorer. Worst case scenario, even if Lindholm materializes as a replacement level or below producer, it’s hard to downgrade from a sub-40% corsi. In signing with the Leafs, Ennis is in a position extremely conducive to success. Outlook So, what will Ennis become? If you’re expecting a return to the player who once earned a cap hit that grazed the $5 million range, you’ll be disappointed. Rather, Ennis will likely assume extremely sheltered minutes, providing the Leafs with above average production while injecting a burst of speed into their bottom unit. At league minimum, you can’t help but walk away satisfied with that. Thanks for reading! Stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com & naturalstattrick.com<doc-sep>Free-agent forward Tyler Ennis has signed a one-year, $650,000 deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs a week after having the final year of his contract bought out by the Minnesota Wild. Ennis signed on Friday and returns to the Atlantic Division, where he spent his first eight seasons playing for Buffalo. Though undersized at 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, Ennis is a speedy, play-making forward who topped 20 goals in three of his nine NHL seasons. He joins his third team in two years after the Sabres traded him to Minnesota last summer. A series of injuries led to Ennis scoring just eight goals and 24 points in 84 games over his final two years in Buffalo. He had eight goals and 22 points in 73 games last season, and was due to make a $3.65 million salary next year before the Wild bought out the contract. The Maple Leafs are in need of low-priced, experienced forwards after signing former New York Islanders captain John Tavares to a seven-year, $77 million contract on Sunday. They also lost forwards James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak in free agency.<doc-sep>
NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 22: Tyler Ennis #63 of the Minnesota Wild in action against the New Jersey Devils on February 22, 2018 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) The Toronto Maple Leafs have everything to gain and little to lose, after signing Tyler Ennis to a one-year, $650,000 deal. The Toronto Maple Leafs continued their foray into free agency, with another move on Friday. As reported by Sportsnet’s Mike Johnston, they have signed Tyler Ennis to a one-year contract. The deal for the unrestricted free agent is worth $650,000. The move became possible after the Minnesota Wild bought out the final season of his five-year, $23 million contract. Given the length and amount of the deal, the Leafs have everything to gain and little to lose. However, this still leads to the question of what version of Ennis they will be getting in Toronto? There is no denying the 28-year-old has had his moments during his NHL career. Over a five-season period between 2010-11 and 2014-15, he averaged just under 41 points per campaign. (And this included the strike-shortened season in 2012-13.) However, it’s fair to say Ennis’ best days are behind him. Over the course of the last three campaigns, he has scored 46 points in total, and this past season he averaged a career-low 11:58 of ice time in 73 games. In addition, there have been ongoing concerns about the Edmonton, Alberta native’s ability to stay healthy. This hasn’t been helped by his lack of size and strength. Regardless, Ennis still makes for an intriguing signing. If he can stay on the ice and rediscover some degree of his previous form, he should prove to be a useful addition to the Leafs’ bottom-six. If noting else, the 2008 26th overall draft pick brings invaluable experience, after nine years in the NHL. He has also appeared in 14 playoff games during his career, contributing three goals and five assists in the process. What’s your take on the signing of Ennis? What kind of production do you predict he will have with the Toronto Maple Leafs next season? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.