Former Leaf signs contract with division rival following training camp
The Toronto Maple Leafs have just completed their pre-season, falling 4-3 to the Detroit Red Wings last night in a tough road loss. The Red Wings are poised to be a much better team in 2023-24 than they were last season and on Sunday, they added yet another quality NHL piece on a 1-year deal.
After inking Justin Holl to a 3-year deal worth $3.4M per season when free agency opened up, the Wings have given another former Leaf a home for the 2023-24 season, as Zach Aston-Reese has inked a 1-year deal with the Red Wings on Sunday worth $775K at the NHL level.
The kicker here is that the deal is not a one-way deal. ZAR's new deal is a two-way deal, meaning that Aston-Reese is likely to be placed on waivers on Sunday and will be assigned to Grand Rapids in the AHL, if he clears, where his AAV will be just $350K.
Aston-Reese played 77 games for the Leafs last season, racking up 10 goals and 4 assists for a total of 14 points. He was a strong defensive presence for the Leafs, but with the team looking for a little more offense from their bottom six this season, ZAR was not re-signed, instead landing in free agency on July 1st. He was not able to secure a deal throughout the summer and signed a PTO with Carolina this fall. He was subsequently released from his PTO this week, allowing him to ink a deal in Detroit.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 8 | 78 ANSWERS Former Leaf signs contract with division rival following training camp How many games do you think Zach Aston-Reese will play with the Red Wings this season? | ||
| 50 or more games | 13 | 16.7 % |
| 20-49 games | 29 | 37.2 % |
| Less than 20 games | 21 | 26.9 % |
| He'll probably stay in the AHL | 15 | 19.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
