Maple Leafs sign former 1st-round pick to 1-year contract

In an offseason where John Chayka has transformed the Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward group, the new GM added another name to the mix on Friday, signing Brendan Brisson to a one-year contract.

It’s a two-way deal that carries an $850,000 cap hit at the NHL level and a $300,000 salary in the American Hockey League, per PuckPedia.

Originally selected in the first round (29th overall) by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2020 NHL Draft, Brisson enjoyed a strong final season at the University of Michigan before joining the Henderson Silver Knights in 2021-22.

He helped the Wolverines win a Big Ten championship and amassed 63 points across 62 career NCAA games. He also won a gold medal with the United States at the 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship.

The 24-year-old got his first taste of NHL hockey in 2023-24 and wasted no time making an impact, recording eight points in 15 games with the Golden Knights.

Late in a 2024-25 campaign that he split between Vegas and Henderson, Brisson was traded to the New York Rangers as part of the deal that reunited Reilly Smith with the Golden Knights, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2023.

Brisson finished the season with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack and spent most of the 2025-26 campaign there, managing 37 points in 66 games. He also had a short stint with the Rangers, recording one assist over three contests.

He played on a one-year, $775,000 contract last season in New York but did not receive a qualifying offer this summer, making him a free agent.

Now, the Los Angeles native will look to crack a Leafs forward group that added several new faces, including Jack Roslovic, Gavin McKenna, Teddy Blueger, Nick Paul, Colton Sissons and Brandon Duhaime.

The bottom six will be difficult for Brisson to crack, with a strong group of NHL-ready forwards already established. The most realistic scenario has him starting the 2026-27 season with the defending Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies and attempting to play his way into a call-up.

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