Former Leafs defenseman leaves North America to pursue another opportunity in Finland

Filip Kral was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 draft by the Leafs. The 23-year old has been with the Marlies since the end of the 2020-21 season and has skated in 92 games with the club. Over those 92 games, Kral has registered 29 points. He also managed to play 2 games with the Leafs last season, though he played only limited minutes.

Yesterday, it was announced that Kral signed a one-year contract with the Lahti Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga. This isn't the first time the Czech native has played in Europe as he previously skated with Brno Kometa of the top Czech League from 2016-2018 and again in the 2020-21 season. Kral did not receive a qualifying offer from the Leafs last month, which made him an unrestricted free agent.

The 6'2, 200-pound defenseman dominated the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs offensively, but has struggled to find his offensive touch since joining the Marlies. He has also been passed on the depth chart by a handful of other players and was likely not going to see the NHL anytime soon.

Best of luck to Filip on this next chapter of his career.

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