Leafs trade Johnsson, sign Boyd, Bogosian and Mikheyev files for arbitration

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas continued tinkering with his lineup on the second day of free agency on Saturday, [not to anyone's surprise] with a trio of moves as he continues to add and subtract in an attempt to get his Maple Leafs squad back under the salary cap.

To absolutely nobody's surprise (except perhaps the player), Dubas sent winger Andreas Johnsson to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for RFA forward Joey Anderson, which cleared up $3.4M in cap space for a Leafs club that desperately needed it in order to help resign a pair of their own RFA's in defenseman Travis Dermott and winger Ilya Mikheyev.

Johnsson was a bright spot in the Toronto Maple Leafs' late-round draft history, being selected in the 7th round (202nd) in 2013. "Mango", as dubbed by his teammates, overcame the odds and the stigma of being a late-round selection and ultimately grinded his way to the NHL, where he has banked 67 points in 125 career NHL games over three seasons with the Leafs.

Unfortunately for Johnsson, with a flat cap, something had to give, and now the 25-year-old Swede finds himself (and his $3.4M cap hit) off to New Jersey where he will get a chance to line up with the likes of Pavel Zacha, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes on a very promising young Devils team, albeit in the midst of a rebuild.

In Joey Anderson, 22, the Leafs are bringing in a young, controllable asset with some pro experience at both the AHL and NHL levels. But, more importantly, they're bringing in a serviceable player with a much lower cap hit, which, if you're aware of the Leafs' cap situation, is a very important factor.

In the AHL, Anderson has fared quite well, notching 40 points in 57 career AHL games. At the NHL level, he has also shown some promise, amassing 13 points through his first 53 career NHL games.

Anderson's status as an RFA means that he still needs a contract, but could likely be had for very cheap, close to the league-minumum, if that's the way Dubas and company decide to go. Anderson could also sign an AHL deal as an alternative, and get in some valuable playing time higher in the lineup with the Toronto Marlies.

In another piece of Leafs news from Saturday, the team has announced the signing of former Washington Capitals forward and UFA Travis Boyd to a one-year, $700,000 deal.

Boyd is a good depth signing for the Maple Leafs, also providing some experience at both the AHL and NHL levels. Despite playing much of the year in Hershey in 2019-20, Boyd was able to find his way in and out of the Caps lineup, contributing a respectable 10 points in 24 appearances at the NHL level.

Boyd now has 31 points in 85 career NHL games.

Following the addition of Wayne Simmonds on Friday, Dubas had doubled down, indicating that he had hoped to add some toughness to his blue line at some point over the coming days. On Saturday evening, Dubas proved to be a man of his words when the Leafs announced the signing of veteran blueliner Zach Bogosian to a one-year, $1M contract.

Bogosian may not move the needle in terms of point production from the back end, but he certainly fits the bill in terms of the nasty streak he brings with him that the Leafs desperately need in their lineup.

At just 30 years old, Bogosian still has some gas left in the tank, and after winning a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning just a few short weeks ago, Bogo is looking to run it back with another blue and white jersey on, this time adorned with the Maple Leafs crest.

Bogosian has tallied 196 points in 644 career NHL games, with 571 PIMs to his record of that span.

Also worth noting, the Maple Leafs and RFA forward Ilya "Souperman" Mikheyev are headed to arbitration, as the Russian winger filed on Saturday in an attempt to have a neutral third party decide the fate of his next contract.

GM Kyle Dubas did originally forecast the move, so it's not as though anyone was surprised by the decision for Ilya's camp to go this route.

Mikheyev produced quite well in his first NHL season before his year was cut short due to a scary incident in New Jersey in December when Mikheyev's wrist was accidentally lacerated by the skate of New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt. This, of course, resulted in Mikheyev missing the remainder of the season and halting his production at 8 goals and 23 points in 39 games.

The two sides are not believed to be far apart on a new deal, so this situation may never actually reach arbitration. Nevertheless, the news is noteworthy.

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