Maple Leafs sign Scott Sabourin to one-year deal

As expected after placing him on waivers earlier Sunday, the Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Scott Sabourin to a one-year, two-way deal, according to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. The deal will be for $700K at the NHL level and $250K at the minor league level.

Sabourin was signed in the offseason to an AHL contract after not being tendered an offer by the Ottawa Senators last season. The 28-year-old forward played 35 games with Ottawa last season and provided the team and many of its prospects some much-needed size and physicality, something the Senators lacked. The forward scored two goals and six points as well as 74 hits, while averaging just 7:01 of ice time.

In Toronto, the team likely had the plan of keeping him with the Marlies all season unless they needed some extra depth — something the team focused on heavily this season. With the injury to Wayne Simmonds, the Senators' need for some bottom-line depth became more apparent, and giving Sabourin an NHL contract made more sense. Sabourin will likely spend much of his time on the taxi squad and likely won’t see too much time on the NHL roster, but now has added value to the team who could eventually need more grit down the line.