The 5’10” wing scored 11 goals and 20 points in 43 games in the regular season. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. Barabanov was also pursued heavily by Arizona and had video meetings with the Leafs and Coyotes last week before making a final decision. Barabanov would add an extra scoring punch to a bottom-six that struggled to produce points consistently in 2019-20.Barabanov is undersized but scouring reports give him good marks in skill and puck control. The Maple Leafs are hot on the trail of Alexander Barabanov.General manager Kyle Dubas confirmed as much on Tuesday during a conference call with media, describing the 25-year-old as “a playmaking winger who also has the ability to finish at the net.”.Barabanov had 20 points (11 goals and nine assists) in 43 games this past season for SKA St. Petersburg, his fifth full season in the Kontinental Hockey League.The Leafs reportedly are one of the front-runners in the race to sign Barabanov, along with the Arizona Coyotes. “He went back to Peterborough, he had a great attitude and he was an excellent player for them right away.“I know the goal-scoring was prolific, but the part his game that we really came to admire during the season was his play on the defensive side and especially on the penalty kill, his ability to win the puck back and then tear down the ice and produce chances.”.Robertson won’t be eligible to play for the Toronto Marlies next season, so it’s another year in junior or a spot with the Leafs.At the least, one would expect the driven Robertson to put himself in camp in a position to get an audition to start the season in Toronto.“It’s disappointing that he won’t be able to see how far he could have run it up in regard to chasing 60 goals, but he is one of the more focused and hard-working prospects I have seen in my time in hockey,” Dubas said. These are unprecedented times and I am sure the league is looking at everything possible to move it ahead once we are medically able to do so.“For me to guess on what that would look like would be a little bit reckless on my end because it’s not at the front of our mind right now and not probably with the league either.“I think the focus is on getting the proper read on the situation that can best arm everybody to make decisions as we move ahead and be prepared as best as possible when we are able to resume, whenever that may be.”.Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Toronto SUN, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.There was an error, please provide a valid email address.A welcome email is on its way. “One of the other things we like most about him is his ability make plays under pressure and his ability to win pucks, protect pucks when people come after him.“We will continue to pursue him as best we can.”.In the bigger picture, the National Hockey League’s pause on the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t had a major impact on the Leafs’ ability to go about some of their business, Dubas said, stressing the importance of the ground work done by Jim Paliafito in Europe.“He has a great read early on who the players are we are probably going to look after,” Dubas said of the Leafs senior director of player evaluation.“I don’t think the pause has really affected our ability to evaluate and recruit — there’s a change on the recruiting side of it, moving it to a virtual format — but because of the job Jim does, we already have relationships there, so it’s not trying to meet somebody over the phone or meet somebody over a virtual setting, you already have a bit of a relationship.“There are players that we’re interested in and we’re competing with many other teams to try to (sign them).”.If he had another chance to do it again — and by that we mean a decision made at training camp last fall — Dubas would have given Nick Robertson a longer look.During the 2019-20 season, Robertson was a second-round pick in a first-round pick’s clothing, leading the Canadian Hockey League with 55 goals for the Peterborough Petes after the Leafs drafted him 53rd last June in Vancouver.

The Maple Leafs are hot on the trail of Alexander Barabanov. Barabanov’s agent, Dan Milstein — who also represents Leafs forward Ilya Mikheyev — is interviewing NHL clubs interested in Barabanov this week.“Alex is strong, not tall (5-foot-10, 191 pounds), but he has tremendous playmaking ability, great skill level in tight,” Dubas said. Statistics of Alexander Barabanov, a hockey player born Jun 17 1994 who was active from 2013 to 2020. Barabanov also scored one goal and three points in four playoff contests before the KHL cancelled hockey operations. Robertson’s remarkable production came after he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Leafs last September, though he didn’t really get a sniff in camp before the Leafs sent him back to Peterborough. Alexander Barabanov, who had 11 goals and 20 points in 43 games this season for SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL, has signed with the Maple Leafs. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Visit our,365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4.© 2020 Toronto Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. We have one more player to discuss. Please try again,Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. The 5’10” wing scored 11 goals and 20 points in 43 games in the regular season. Louis Blues: Team News, Analysis, History, Schedule,Tampa Bay Lightning: Team News, Analysis, History, Schedule,Toronto Maple Leafs: Team News, Analysis, History, Schedule,Vancouver Canucks: Team News, Analysis, History, Schedule,Vegas Golden Knights: Team News, Analysis, History, Schedule,Washington Capitals: Team News, Analysis, History, Schedule,Winnipeg Jets: Team News, Analysis, History, Schedule. “He knows the areas he needs to continue to work on, he has a great read on that. Article content. “Keeping the integrity of the tournament style that is there now is important.“(But) I have no idea what an abbreviated scenario would look like or how it would unfold.