The Maple Leafs have reached a contract with one of their top prospects, Nick Abruzzese, to a 2-year entry-level deal worth $1,700,000 with an $850,000 cap hit.
It has been rumored that the Maple Leafs were interested in bringing Abruzzese into the organization and potentially into the lineup down the stretch, which can be a win-win for the team. Abruzzese played the past two seasons at Harvard University, where he has tallied 77 points in 59 games and jumped in the rankings of prospects within the organization.
The contract breakdown is as followed:
- 2 years at $850,000 cap hit
- 2021-22: $765,000 base salary, with a $85,000 bonus
- 2022-23: $765,000 base salary, with a $85,000 bonus
The New York native has been rumored to be in Toronto this coming week and could be in the lineup in the coming weeks as he gets acclimated with his new teammates. Abruzzese could also be with the Marlies to get used to the systems and play at a higher pace of hockey than he used to play at Harvard.
Nick Abruzzese will join the likes of Alexander Kerfoot, Colin Blackwell, Jimmy Vesey, Dominic Moore, and Alex Biega to go to Harvard University and play within the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. However, he is the only player of those five others to be drafted by the team, as they took him in the 4th round with the 124th pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft.