The NCAA season is winding down and we have already seen a number of players sign with NHL teams in recent days. After last night's overtime loss to Denver, St. Cloud forward and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Veeti Miettinen now has to make a difficult decision.
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 draft by the Leafs, the 23-year-old is eligible to return for a fifth season at St. Cloud next season, making him a UFA next spring. If he wants to remain with the Leafs organization, he can now also sign an entry-level contract with the Leafs and join the Toronto Marlies for the rest of the season. A third option exists for Miettinen as well, which is to sit and wait until August 15th when his NHL rights expire, which would allow him to become a UFA this summer.
The 5'9, 160 pound right-winger is coming off of a 20-goal, 35 point campaign with St. Cloud, and over his four years, he registered 118 points in 146 games.
The Leafs have two contract slots open as they currently sit at 48 of 50 contracts. Given Miettinen was a Kyle Dubas draft pick, it will be interesting to see if new GM Brad Treliving sees a future fit for him as either a Marlie or Leaf.
As Marlies reporter Kyle Cushman noted, if the Leafs think he will be able to contribute somewhere in the organization, he should sign in the coming days.
