Ex-Leafs winger officially signs a new 1-year contract

Former Leafs winger Joey Anderson was a part of a package that the Leafs had sent to Chicago in exchange for forward Sam Lafferty and defenseman Jake McCabe. The belief at the time was that Anderson, who was buried on the depth chart in Toronto, would have a better opportunity to showcase what he can do at the NHL level with a rebuilding Blackhawks team. Well, as it turns out, his trial run in Chicago was a successful one.

Anderson, 25, was expected to become a restricted free agent this summer, but signed a 1-year extension with the Hawks and hopes to be a full-time fixture for the team next season. The deal is a two-way deal, which means that Anderson will have a different salary in the AHL than he would otherwise carry in the NHL. What this tells us is that the Blackhawks aren't giving him any guarantees and want him to earn his spot on the NHL roster.

Anderson has been knocking on the door for an NHL job for some time. During his time in Toronto, he was given a few different opportunities to step up and steal a job on the NHL roster, but he seems to be stuck in that strange area between being too good for the AHL but not good enough to stick in the NHL. Of course, at just 25 years old, there's still time for him to find his groove and earn a full-time roster spot.

The Roseville, MN native appeared in 14 games with the Leafs last season, putting up 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points. Following his trade out of Toronto, he put up 6 points in 24 games as a member of the Blackhawks.