Noah Gregor signs one-year, $775,000 contract with Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have inked winger Noah Gregor to a one-year contract worth $775,000.
Congrats @n_gregs20. Have fun in Toronto. One year deal at $775K.
— Jason Gregor (@JasonGregor) October 10, 2023Gregor had just finished his professional tryout contract with the Leafs and had been skating with the team in practices leading up to the team’s first game against Montreal on Wednesday evening.
Gregor had one goal and three points during the preseason, scoring against the Canadiens on Oct. 2. He mainly played in a depth scoring role, establishing himself as a potential fourth-line winger with speed and tenacity.
It seems like new Leafs GM Brad Treliving agreed, signing the team’s only PTO player to a fresh contract.
Drafted 111th overall by the San Jose Sharks in 2016, Gregor has spent his entire pro career with the club. He had a career-best 10 goals in 2022-23, but saw his offense jump fall from 23 to 17. It was his first full season in the NHL after bouncing between San Jose’s NHL and AHL clubs over the past four years.
In 178 games with the Sharks, Gregor has 26 goals and 51 points – mainly in a bottom-six role. He also has 40 points in 43 AHL games with the Barracuda, but has never played more than 25 games in an AHL season – making him a valuable scorer in the second-tier league.
Away from the NHL, Gregor won the 2019 WHL championship with the Prince Albert Raiders, and helped Canada take silver at the 2022 IIHF World Hockey Championship.
The Leafs found themselves in a cap crunch, with no projected cap space to work with before the deal, according to CapFriendly. The club had already put Jake Muzzin, Matt Murray and Conor Timmins on long-term injured reserve, giving them $11.412 million cap relief. Easton Cowan is set to return to the OHL’s London Knights, taking his $935,833 cap hit with him.
The Maple Leafs will face off against Montreal in its first game of the season on Wednesday evening. They’ll then welcome the Minnesota Wild on Saturday before battling Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, Oct. 18.