Update:

And per Cap Friendly, he is not waivers exempt, but may full time AHLers aren’t.

He’s not Dougie Hamilton, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired the signing rights for right-shot defenseman Brennan Menell from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a 2022 seventh round pick. The condition on the pick is if Menell plays 30 games with the Leafs, the pick gets transferred.

Mennell is 24 is listed at 5’11” and 177 lb, so his undrafted state makes him one of many smaller defencemen to be overlooked.

Coming out of the WHL, Menell played three seasons with the AHL Iowa Wild, getting himself in five NHL games in 2019-20. In 2020-21, he spent the year in the KHL with Dinamo Minsk, scoring five goals and putting together 38 points in 47 games. He also had an impressive playoff streak with the team, scoring seven points in the team’s five games before bowing out in the first round. Minsk, coached by Craig Woodcroft, was a team dominated by North American imports.

Menell is currently not under contract, and played last season without an NHL deal, but is now an RFA, whose rights are owned by the Maple Leafs until he reaches UFA age. They shouldn’t have any difficulty in signing him.

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