Every year, free agents head into July 1st hoping to cash in. For some, lucrative new deals await them. For others, the market doesn't offer what they feel they're worth. In these cases, players can either sign short-term deals in hopes of cashing in on their next contracts or hold out and be patient, hoping that a deal to their liking will materialize before training camps begin. The latter certainly comes with a great deal of risk, as Josh Leivo found out this week.
Leivo, who has played parts of 10 NHL seasons, had been holding out hope for a contract this summer. Unfortunately, not only did a contract offer not present itself, but he wasn't able to sign a professional tryout agreement either. As a result, the 30-year-old has inked a 1-year deal in the KHL with Salavat Yulayev.
Leivo appeared in 51 games last season with the St. Louis Blues. He had also previously spent time with Carolina, Calgary and Vancouver, but spent most of his career wtih the Maple Leafs' organization after being drafted in the 3rd round by the Leafs (86th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft before he was traded to the Canucks during the 2018-19 season
Leivo has dressed in 265 regular season NHL games, scoring 42 times and adding 51 assists for a total of 93 points during his NHL career. Perhaps a strong KHL season will set him up to pursue an NHL contract again next summer.
