Brandon Kozun, who made ripples in Toronto at the beginning of last season by making the team out of training camp, has left the organization to sign with Finnish-based KHL club Jokerit, the team announced on Thursday.
Kozun, 25, earned an opening-night roster spot following a good exhibition campaign but suffered a serious blow shortly thereafter, suffering a high ankle sprain in mid-October. He was placed on waivers not long after returning and, after going unclaimed, proceeded to split time between the Leafs and AHL Marlies for the remainder of the year.
A former sniper with WHL Calgary, Kozun’s lack of size -- he goes 5-foot-8, 167 pounds -- has always worked against him, so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares with Jokerit, which has been a desirable landing spot for undersized players.
Steve Moses, the diminutive forward that set a league scoring record (36 goals) for Jokerit last season, recently scored a one-year, $1 million deal from Nashville.