Dreger: Andreas Johnsson has rejected contract offer from the Maple Leafs.

It sounds like the Toronto Maple Leafs, or more specifically Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, are going to have some serious headaches to deal with this summer. 

Everyone reading this by now is fully aware of the fact that the upcoming contract negotiations for Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner are going to put a serious strain on the Maple Leafs salary cap situation, but he is not the only problem that Kyle Dubas has to deal with. Often lost in the shuffle is forward Andreas Johnsson who, like Marner, will be a restricted free agent this summer and who as a result is also due for a contract extension from the Maple Leafs.

Well as it turns out while fans and pundits may over look Johnsson's need for a new contract while focusing on some of the organizations bigger stars, it appears that Kyle Dubas was not subject to any such distraction. In fact according to a breaking news report from TSN National Hockey League Insider Darren Dreger it appears that the Maple Leafs have already tried, and failed, to get a deal with Johnsson done much earlier in the season. These were not insignificant offers either and they were different enough that you have to wonder if Dubas may have another holdout on his hands here. 

According to Dreger the Leafs offered Johnsson a short term deal at a discount and a longer team deal at a more elevated average annual value, but both of those offers were rejected outright by talented Leafs forward. 

"The Toronto Maple Leafs offered Andreas Johnsson $2.1m on a 2 year deal and $2.6m on a 4 year deal around the deadline and he declined," said Dreger as per TSN 1050.

It is easy to see why the 24 year old winger would want to get paid this time around and, although it will not be a pleasant experience for the Leafs or their fans, I can sympathize with Johnsson here. The guy is a former 7th round draft pick and had to work and grind his way into the National Hockey League every single step of the way. This season was his first real shot at the NHL level and he made it count with 20 goals and 23 assists for a total of 43 points over 70 games. This is unquestionably the point in his career at which he is the most valuable and if he signs a longer term deal he may never get another opportunity like this again. 

Still not good news for the Leafs.