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The Faceoff: Mikko Lehtonen
Mikko Lehtonen won the scoring race among KHL defensemen last year—if you can even call it that. The Finnish blue liner picked up 17 goals and 32 assists in his inaugural Russian season, a healthy cushion of 27 points from second-place finisher and newly-minted Ottawa Senator Artyom Zub. Jokerit's breakout star unsurprisingly garnered attention from overseas, inking a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in early May of this year. As COVID-19 reshaped hockey schedules around the globe, Lehtonen returned to Jokerit on loan—his tape-to-tape passes and strong shot welcome arrows in the quiver of head coach Lauri Marjamäki.
