Maple Leafs grooming left shot defensive prospect to play on the right side?

Johansson was just as shocked as Leafs fans when the team selected him in the fourth round on day two of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on June 29th. Johansson himself admitted during Leafs Summer Development Camp that he didn't expect to go quite so early in the draft. Obviously, the Leafs saw something in the lanky defenseman.

For many of the Leafs' staff, development camp was their first up-close look at the skilled, left-shot Swede. When drafted, the biggest knock on him was his size at just 147 pounds. Johansson must add a lot of weight to his 6'2 frame to even get a sniff of the NHL, but that should come with time as both of his brothers are taller and over 200 pounds. He is certainly a long-term project for the Leafs, but it appears his development plan is already underway.

Johansson's Swedish team, Leksands, kicked off its pre-season today, and to the surprise of many, Johansson was lined up on the right side of the blueline. Whether the Leafs had a hand in Leksands' decision to put him there is unknown, but if I had to put money on it, I would say the Leafs did have some involvement in the decision in an attempt to help the young defenseman develop his versatility.

The Leafs are in desperate need of defensemen that can play the right side. They have Ben Danford, Topi Niemela and William Villeneuve as true right-shots in their system, but after that, the cupboard is fairly thin. While it is only one game, it would seem as though the Leafs are hoping they can turn Johansson into a Jake McCabe or T.J. Brodie type player that is comfortable playing on both sides.

Versatility, as everyone knows, is very important when you get to the NHL. The ability to play either side of the ice can be the difference between being blocked on the depth chart and getting an opportunity to play. For Johansson, it's unclear whether the experiment to try him on the right side will be a success or not, but anytime you can give yourself that type of an advantage, it's certainly best to take it and try to run with it.

The 18-year-old will have plenty of time to adjust and learn to play the right side, given that he is not expected to make the move to North America anytime soon, barring a miraculous rise to stardom in Sweden.

Source: Hockey DB
Victor Johansson Player Profile