Leafs Ink Newcomer Toskala To 2-Year Extension
Posted July 4, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
He was sealed, he was delivered, but he wasn’t signed longterm – until now. The Leafs took time off from their time off this summer to take care of business with their newest acquisition. The Buds officially signed Vesa Toskala to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday, as their newest player tried on his jersey for the first time.
The new deal will make the goalie $8 million richer when it kicks in during the 2008-09 season. He’s already set to score $1.375 million during the year to come. Toskala was the Leafs’ prize in the wheeling and dealing on draft day, a back-up – or potentially more – for number one backstop Andrew Raycroft. He came from the San Jose Sharks boasting a 26-10-1 record in 2006-07.
The veteran admits playing in the pressure cooker that is Toronto will be a real challenge. “Every player want to play some point in their careers in Canada, and I see how much bigger the hockey is here and I just think it’s a really good chance for me right now, and I’m really excited. Every time when I play, my main goal is always just to give a team the chance to win every night when I’m on the ice, and I gonna (sic) keep that same goal here in this season.”
The 30-year-old Fin agrees he’s excited to be playing in the ‘hockey capital of the world’ and can’t wait for the season to get started. Neither can Leaf fans – they’re hoping Toskala can add to a better showing that saw the beloved Blue and White miss the playoffs entirely when the season ended.
